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TETMD 4


5

BOSTON

It had been a long night, but I imagined that it was even longer for the
girl than it had been for me. I watched over her and hoped that I could
even chase away the scary dreams. But they invaded her mind anyway. I saw
her face as she slept. The quick catch of breath, the jerking motion of her
body, the murmurs of fear. All of these were symptoms of nightmares. Every
twenty minutes or so, she would jerk herself awake, look around the room and
then she would look at me. She would focus those pretty eyes of hers on me
until they closed again.

This went on for most of the night, and through it all, she never let go of
my hand. She jerked awake again and cried out and that's when I couldn't
take it any more. I sat on the side of her bed and took her in my arms.
She cried on my shoulder and hung onto me tightly. No words were exchanged.
I wasn't even sure she would be able to talk according to what Quirk had
told me. But words weren't necessary. She needed someone to be there for
her and I was trying to let her know that I was there for her until I could
find her parents. Until I could find out who she was.

After awhile, she seemed to stop crying and she just kept her head on my
shoulder. I soon discovered that she had actually fallen asleep. I was
about to lay her back down but she opened her eyes and hung onto me tightly.
So I just held her and she slept in my arms.

Maybe I could chase away her nightmares after all.

So I held her...and then I wondered if Hawk had found anything out as to who
had taken this girl from her home.

* * *

They called themselves the Lost Boys because they loved the movie that much.
There were four of them.

The smaller one with the curly blonde hair and a baby-face was called Little
Mikey. The second one was a foot taller with long brown hair and a five o'
clock shadow. He was called Marco. The third Lost Boy was just a few
inches taller than Marco and he had long black hair that touched the small
of his back. He even had dimples when he smiled. His name was Damien.

Then there was the fourth Lost Boy. He was the tallest of the others. He
had bleached-blonde hair styled in a spiked flat top. He favored a blonde
goatee and he enjoyed tucking a cigarette just above his right ear. His
name was David. David was the leader of the Lost Boys.

He walked ahead of his three boys as he lead them to the entrance of the
Boston Memorial Hospital. The hour was late and visiting hours had been
closed hours before so they were heading for the ER's entrance. But as they
got closer, they were forced to stop short when they saw the tall imposing
figure standing directly in their path.

David scowled impatiently as he glanced back at his boys. Then he turned to
face the man before them. "Get out of our way, Hawk."

Hawk didn't get out of their way. "Visiting hours is over and you ain't
invited."

"And you are interfering in business that doesn't concern you." David
glared at him. "It's four to one, Hawk. Do you like those odds?"

"Send one of your boys for help. I'll wait."

David just looked at him.

Hawk looked comfortable standing there. He even flashed them a smile.

Marco fidgeted nervously in place. "Man, c'mon, David! Let's take the
son-of-a-bitch! He's just one guy."

David held up a hand and he shook his head. "You guys wait here." He left
them and he walked up to Hawk. He stopped in front of him, took down his
cigarette from atop his ear, and then he proceeded to light it. He regarded
Hawk as he took a drag from the smoke. "Listen, Hawk. I understand your
position. I really do. But you aren't anybody's fool. You know why we're
here."

Hawk nodded once. "Uh huh. I know why you think you're here, but what you
is thinking...ain't gonna happen. One of your boys messed up. Now he's
lost his head." He looked at him. "I'm thinkin' you lost it for him."

"So what? What's that to you?"

"Nothing to me...'cept I didn't do it. But now you think you're gonna clean
this mess up. Well, you won't need to 'cause I'm cleaning this mess up. So
if you leave now, then you and your boys won't be losing your heads."

David took a drag from his cigarette. Then he shook his head. "You can't
protect that little bitch, Hawk. We'll get her one way or the other."

Hawk looked at him with cold eyes. "Say that again and I will kill you
where you stand."

David regarded him. Then he grinned. "Can't you be reasonable? All we
want to do is walk in, take her, and leave. No fuss, no mess."

"That's why I know you're going to turn around and leave. 'Cause you can't
afford to cause a scene. It would make trouble for whatever scumbag you're
working for now, wouldn't it?" He paused. "Perhaps Mr. Trick is your
Master now. Do you think he would like you to cause a scene?"

"I don't work for Mr. Trick."

"Who then?"

David didn't answer. "Hawk, you've just made a big mistake. There are a
lot of people who are going to be after that girl. And they won't be as
nice as I am."

Hawk leaned forward menacingly. "I'm not a nice guy at all.
I'm...restrained."

David shook his head. "Big mistake, I'm telling you." He shrugged, turned,
and he began to head back toward his boys. "C'mon, guys. We'll have to
work something else out." He waved a hand at Hawk. "We'll be seeing you."

"Not if I see you first," Hawk replied. He looked at the smallest Lost Boy
and wagged a finger at him. "Little Mikey...a word."

The Lost Boys looked at him curiously. Little Mikey glanced at David and
David shrugged his shoulders as he joined them. "Go ahead," David replied.
"See what he wants."

Little Mikey walked over to Hawk and looked at him curiously. He waited.
Hawk simply leaned toward him and he whispered his address to him.

Little Mikey hesitated, "Why are you telling me where you live?"

Hawk flashed him his pearly whites. "You have just received my personal
invitation."

Little Mikey looked at him in surprise.

"But that invitation is just for you."

Little Mikey grinned and he joined the other Lost Boys.

"One last chance, Hawk," David called to him. "Let us have the girl."

Hawk stood there and he shook his head. "One last chance, little boys.
Leave or be dusted."

David shook his head. Then the Lost Boys turned and walked away. Hawk
watched them go. For the rest of the night, he stayed outside of the
hospital and kept an eye out for any trouble. He knew that Spenser and two
uniformed cops were inside keeping the girl safe. He intended to do his
part on the outside.

But Hawk was troubled.

With the Lost Boys in on this, things were definitely going to heat up in a
hurry. It was a good thing that he had a plan.
____________________________________________________


SUNNYDALE

Sunter had spilled the beans. He had spilled everything he knew. He even
confessed to things that had nothing to do with what Angel, Xander, and
Rupert Giles wanted to know. Sunter had admitted that he knew S'ushi
Alyssia had intended to take Willow to Boston. But she had also mentioned
to him something about going to a Funhouse first, and the Funhouse was just
outside of LA. However, she hadn't mentioned how long she had intended to
stay there so it was possible that Willow could be there with S'ushi
Alyssia.

"That's where she was taking them first!" Sunter cried out as Angel's
demonic face drew closer to his own. "I swear!! I swear to all that's
Holy, Mother of God!!! It's true!!" He sobbed like a baby.

"Who is 'them'?" Angel demanded.

"B-be quick about it," Giles said from the sidelines. "He gets rather
grumpy when he hasn't eaten."

Sunter cried all the more, tears streaming down his face. "Oh, Jesus!!
God!! Help me!!" he exclaimed.

Angel slammed him against the wall. "Would you like to meet Him now?"

"No, please!!!" He looked heavenward. "Dear God, it's not that I don't
want to meet You! It's just that...I don't wanna die!!" He sobbed again.

Xander rolled his eyes and shook his head. "If Webster were here today,
he'd find a whole new meaning for the word 'pathetic'."

"Then tell me who is 'them' you were referring to?" Angel growled, giving
the man a rough shaking. "Was there another girl besides Willow?"

"Y-yes!" Sunter cried. "Her name...her name is Kali, and--"

"Where is this Funhouse? Give me an address!"

Sunter told him where it was.

Angel tossed the man away from him in utter disgust. He had never felt like
killing a human being quite like the way he was feeling now. "You'd better
leave town," he warned. "If I ever come back here and I find that you
haven't gone, you'll never live to see another sunrise." He glared at the
man with his yellow eyes. "Do you understand me?"

Sunter nodded eagerly. "Y-yes! I do! I-I-I really do!!"

Angel snarled, "Then, go!!"

Sunter didn't have to be told twice. He got to his feet and he ran out of
the boat house sobbing like a baby. Xander stood in the doorway and he
watched Sunter run off. He couldn't believe that the man was actually
getting away with what he just did. Angel had let the bastard go scot-free.

Xander turned and he saw Giles and Angel watching him. Angel's face was
human again.

"Xander," Giles began, "are you all right?"

Xander didn't answer him. He was glaring at Angel. "What the hell was
that?"

Angel frowned. He knew what the young man was referring to. "Xander," he
said calmly, "what did you expect me to do? I can't just kill him."

"You can't just kill him?" Xander pointed angrily at the open doorway where
Sunter had escaped through. "That-that lowlife bastard sold my best friend
like she was nothing but a piece of meat!" he shouted. "And you let him
go!"

"He's human, Xander." Angel shook his head as he tried to keep his own
emotions from rising. "You've called me a monster many times. If I had
killed him, then I would be just that. A monster. I'm not going to kill a
human. I can't!"

"Willow--"

"--will still be where she is until we find her," Giles interrupted.
"Angel's right, Xander. Killing Sunter won't help us find Willow. A-and if
we took him to the police, th-then we would have spent valuable hours
answering questions. None of that would be any help to Willow."

Xander looked so helpless. He looked from Angel to Giles. "But what if he
tells someone that we're looking for her? They could kill her and set a
trap for us!"

Giles shook his head. "I don't think he's going to tell anyone."

"He's never seen a vampire," Angel replied, agreeing with Giles. "Trust me,
Xander. I scared the shit out of him."

"How can you be sure?" Xander asked.

"I saw the fear in his eyes. If he had ever seen a vampire before tonight,
I would have been able to tell." He hesitated. "And then there was that
smell." He walked over to the chest that had been against the wall.
"Giles...do you think we can get this chest into the trunk of your car?"

Giles glanced at him curiously. Then he looked at the chest and tried to
work the measurements out in his head. "I-I think it might fit. Er, even
if it doesn't, I-I have bunji cords that will keep the trunk down." He
paused. "Why would you want to take this?"

Angel looked at him. "Because if Willow isn't at this Funhouse, we may need
it."

"Need it?" Xander asked, looking at him as if he were mad. "Why do you want
this thing, Angel? Sunter told me that this is how Willow is being
transported around."

"I know. I heard what he said." Angel paused. "We may need this for me."

Giles looked at him, puzzled. "For you?"

"If Willow isn't at the Funhouse, you'll have to put me in this chest. I
can't risk a plane ride to Boston. I'll never stand a chance in the sun.
There'll be no place to hide." He looked at Giles and Xander. "So you'll
have to pack me in and take me aboard as cargo."

Xander stared at him with his mouth open. "You..." He pointed at the
chest. "You would do that for Willow?"

Angel looked at him. "Wouldn't you?"

"I-I will do anything to get her back."

Angel nodded in agreement. "And so will I."

Xander regarded him for a moment. Was he truly wrong about Angel? The man
was a vampire. His heart didn't even beat, and yet he did have a soul.
Xander wanted to find fault in him and he looked for fault at every
occasion.

But he couldn't find any fault this time.

Angel wanted to save Willow just as much as he did.

"Since it seems that w-we are all in agreement," Giles began as he took off
his glasses, "then I suggest that we take the chest and head for LA."

Giles received no argument from either Angel or Xander. They took the
chest, shoved it into the trunk and Giles secured it with bunji cords since
it would not close all the way. Then they climbed into the car and they
headed for the Funhouse just outside of LA. They eventually arrived there
and once they had, they came face-to-face with the most horrifying evil
mankind has ever known.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx



6

JUST OUTSIDE LA

Almost four hours later, they arrived at the Funhouse. The Funhouse was
located deep in the woods and it was completely surrounded by the forrest.
It was secluded. It was as far removed from civilization as it could be,
and that was necessary for then no one could hear the screams of the
innocent. An unpaved trail led through the forrest in winding curves.
Giles had a hard time just following the path with the Giles-Mobile, but
somehow he managed.

When they finally saw this Funhouse looming out of the darkness before them,
they were at first filled with relief that they actually found the place.
But then that relief turned to apprehension as they realized what they could
find within those walls of evil. And it was evil. It was a place of the
darkest evil known to man. As they sat in the car and stared at the
Funhouse, they could feel the horrible, numbing presence of evil itself. It
gave off a foreboding sense of doom. The presence was so strong that they
literally felt their hope draining out of their bodies. All hope that they
would find Willow alive and unharmed in that awful place evaporated within
seconds.

Xander filled his mind with anger as he forcibly shook off the heavy
oppression threatening to consume him. He grabbed for the door handle and
prepared to open the door.

Angel glanced back at him from the front seat. "Xander. Please...stay in
the car."

Xander had the door open, but he didn't get out. He was looking at Angel in
disbelief. "Are you crazy? If Will is in there--"

"I will bring her out." Angel looked at Giles. Then he looked toward the
Funhouse and he took a deep breath. "Look...we know what kind of a place
this is. It's a place to get high and have your pick at the victims of the
week. I swear...I don't want either one of you to step one foot in that
place."

Giles regarded him. "What do you propose we do? W-we aren't about to sit
out here and wait for you to bring Willow out. You might n-need us to help
you."

Angel paused in thought. Then he swallowed hard as if he were trying to
hold back his revulsion for the Funhouse. "All right...At least wait until
I clear the way. Then come in."

"Angel," Xander protested, "we can help you."

Angel shook his head. "I said let me clear the way first. Xander, I know
about these places. Most of the people in there are wasted, and there may
be three or four guys who are keeping an eye out for trouble. But they are
human. They're not demons in there. So I'm betting that once I go in
there..." His face abruptly changed to that of his darker side. "...and
show my face like this, they'll all come out running."

With that, Angel climbed out of the car and he went through the front door
of the Funhouse.

Xander snorted. "Like that's really going to work! How's that going to
scare people who are wasted? That doesn't even scare me and I'm not
wasted."

Giles glanced back at him, but he didn't say anything.

They both looked toward the Funhouse.

Xander waved his hand impatiently toward the Funhouse. "You see? I don't
see--"

Someone came diving through a window on the first floor. Shortly after
that, the front door slammed open so hard that it nearly came off from its
hinges. People came pouring out through the front doorway screaming for
their lives. Some climbed into vehicles and sped off through the woods.
Tires spun on gravel. Some of the vehicles didn't even use the trail.
Other people simply ran off and disappeared into the woods.

A few minutes later, silence descended around them. Giles and Xander
waited, but no one else came running out of the house.

Giles turned to look at Xander. "Y-you were saying...?"

Xander looked at him, but he didn't respond.

The two men climbed out of the car and they slowly made their approach
toward the Funhouse. The door was wide open and as they neared the
entrance, a strange, sweet odor struck them. The closer they got to the
doorway, the stronger the scent became.

"What is that horrible smell?" Xander asked, trying not to gag.

Giles hesitated. "D-dope. Marijuana. F-for one, anyway...but there are
other odors."

There were other odors as they entered cautiously into the Funhouse. Urine.
Body odor. Things better left to the imagination. Alcohol. Incense.
All mingled together, it made for one horrible odor.

Xander pulled the front of his shirt over his nose and mouth. "What kind of
madhouse is this, Giles? These people are sick!"

That's when he and Giles got their first good look at the living room that
they had found themselves in. The place was completely trashed. There was
garbage all over the place. There were beer cans and uneaten food scattered
about. Someone had vomited on the sofa. An assortment of pills and trails
of heroin lined the coffee table. There were red pills, yellow pills, green
pills, and even bright pink pills and as Xander looked at them, he couldn't
help but think of how closely those pills resembled M & M's. But they
weren't M & M's. Far from it. And those lines of a white powdery substance
was not sugar.

The most horrifying site in the living room was the girl in the corner. She
hadn't said anything as they entered, nor had she uttered a sound. Giles
and Xander saw her at the same time and they froze in their tracks.

The girls clothes were torn, she was half naked, and she was chained to the
wall. There was a collar around her throat and the chain was linked to it.

"Oh...dear God..." Xander said softly. He was on the verge of breaking
down. "Giles, is she...?"

Giles knelt beside the girl. Her eyes were vacant and staring. "Wh-whoever
she is," he said in a hoarse whisper, "she's alive, Xander."

Xander took a hesitant step closer. "My God, Giles! She's so...young!"
There was a catch in his voice. He balled his hands into fists. "This is
so wrong! I have never in my life seen anything so wrong." There was a lot
of anguish expressed through his words.

Giles turned to look at him.

Xander swallowed a lump in his throat. "A Funhouse, huh?" He wanted to
explode. "Well, are we having any fun yet?" he asked sarcastically. He
looked around the room. "Dear God...I-I've got to find Willow." He turned
away from Giles as his eyes filled with tears.

* * *

Angel heard nothing.

It was as if everything around him except for the horrible sight in front of
him ceased to exist. He found himself staring in horror at what he had
discovered in the basement. There was so much blood. It was all over what
he saw, and great puddles were on the floor.

Upon entering the basement, the first sensation that hit him was the sense
of smell. He had been struck with the odor of blood and death. But it was
a horrible death and the smell had been so strong, he had almost stumbled
down the stairs.

But then he saw the cage hanging by the ceiling. That wasn't where the odor
had originated from, but it caught his attention nonetheless. The cage was
like a bird cage, but it was big enough to hold a person inside. It was
empty now. There were wires wrapped around each of the bars and he wondered
about that, however, only for a few seconds.

His eyes had locked onto the horror of his discovery and it froze him where
he stood.

So there he was.

Angel simply stood there.

He couldn't bring himself to move.

He found it difficult to breathe.

God help him, he couldn't even force himself to look away.

A single tear began to roll down his face.

So he stood there and he looked. He knew then that no matter how much of a
monster he had been when he had no soul, he had never done anything quite
like this. And he swore to himself that it would never happen. He was
looking at something that could only be a heinous act of sheer brutality,
and yet there was something that made this deed even that much more
horrible. For this act had not been committed by demons. Or vampires.
From them, such acts could be expected.

But, no.

This was an evil that man did.

Human beings did this.

And then his eyes wandered to the cage hanging above the floor. He didn't
know why, but he thought that Willow might have been trapped in that cage
and that she might have seen with her own pure, innocent eyes the horror of
what had been done here.

Angel wanted to scream. He wanted to cry out to the heavens and demand
justice, but all that escaped from his lips was a soft gasp and a groan of
anguish. He was shaking.

Dear God, help me! Angel thought. He was so dangerously close to falling
into his own rage. The thought crossed his mind that if Willow had met a
fate like this one, he would kill every goddamn last one of them. There
would be no place on earth where they could hide. He would do it, at the
risk of losing his own soul.

He buried his face in his hands and he tried to breathe. "Oh, God...please
don't let Willow go through this..." He was horribly shaking from what he
saw.

Then he heard something.

Someone was on the stairs.

"Angel..." Xander called. "Did you find Willow?"

Angel quickly moved to the bottom of the stairs and he raised his hand.
"Stay there, Xander! Don't you come down here!"

Xander stopped half way down the staircase. It registered in his mind that
he had never seen Angel so visibly shaken before. But he was painfully
aware of something else.

That horrible stench of death.

He looked at Angel and swallowed. He felt like he wanted to throw up. "Oh,
God...y-you found her, didn't you? You found Willow!"

Angel shook his head. "No...I-it's not Willow."

Hope flashed across Xander's face as behind him, Giles appeared in the
doorway of the basement.

"Please...don't come down here," Angel pleaded. "Both of you...just stay
back."

Xander took a step down. "What did you find, Angel? W-what did they do?"

"You don't want to know."

Xander hesitated. Was it morbid curiosity or did he want to know what the
future held for Willow? He took another step down.

Suddenly, Angel raced up the steps toward Xander. Before Xander could even
stop him, Angel grabbed him and literally carried him out of the basement.
He brushed past a stunned Giles and carried Xander right out through the
front doorway and out into the night. Without warning, he tossed Xander to
the ground.

Xander was furious. By the time he managed to get to his feet, he was ready
to let Angel have it. But the look on Angel's face stopped him cold.

"I may be a monster to you, Xander," Angel said, a tremor in his voice, "but
I will NOT let you see that! And I swear to God, I won't let that happen to
Willow."

Xander stared at him. He was horrified. "Angel...w-what if we're too late?
What if it already happened?"

Angel tried hard too keep his emotions in check. But there was a dangerous
look in his eyes. "Then I will become the monster you accuse me of being."

Xander regarded him. For a long time, he just couldn't take his eyes off
from the vampire with a soul. Finally, he said, "I'm sorry, Angel." He
shook his head. He was stunned about what he was going to say, but deep
inside, he knew it must be true. "You're not the monster here. I-I don't
know what you saw...but I can figure it out." He hesitated. "You're sure
it...it wasn't Willow?"

Angel nodded. He paused. "I-I think it might be Kali."

Xander closed his eyes. He didn't even know this Kali, but he felt like
crying anyway.

Angel swallowed a lump in his throat as he tried to regain his composure.
"I...I thought I saw everything." He looked at Xander. "I was wrong." He
grit his teeth. "It...it makes me sick."

Xander didn't know what to say.

"Quite right," Giles replied as he came walking out of the house. He had a
cell phone in his hand. And he was as pale as a ghost. "I find th-that it
makes me ill as well."

Angel turned to look at him. "You saw...?" he trailed off.

Giles nodded. "I-I did." He looked at Angel sadly. He was shaking.
"Angel...you m-may be many things. B-but I do know that you care. Believe
it or not, that...that says a lot about you." He took off his glasses and
wiped at his eyes. Then he took a deep breath, and he put his glasses back
on. "If you really want to know, Xander, a-about the worst kind of monster
there is in the world, I can tell you. The worst kind of monster or demon
will not be in a-any of the books at the library. You can't research this
kind of monster for it is the worst kind and there is none like it." He
paused. "The worst kind of demon is a human being who can do this
despicable act of evil to another human being." He was referring to what he
had seen in the basement.

Xander swallowed. "Angel said it wasn't Willow."

"I-it wasn't. Whoever it was had b-blonde hair." Giles paused as he
thought for a fleeting moment about Buffy. He was glad she was spared from
this. "I'm afraid i-it may have been this Kali." He looked down at the
cell phone in his hand.

"What are you going to do with that?" Xander asked.

"I'm going to call the police."

Angel hesitated. "We can't stay here, Giles. We have a flight to catch."

Giles nodded. "We'll catch that flight, Angel. B-but we have to call the
proper authorities and tell them to get here. Th-there is still a girl in
there who can be taken from this place, and perhaps she can even
recover...some day."

Angel nodded his head.

Giles dialed 911 in the cell phone.
____________________________________________________


BOSTON

Hawk went to his penthouse apartment and he stood in his doorway. He stood
there for a long time as if he were waiting for something. He didn't turn
the lights on. He didn't move. But his eyes took in everything and his
ears were listening to his surroundings.

He heard Little Mikey even before he saw him. The so-called Lost Boy was
behind the curtain at the open window, and he was standing still. But the
fool was trying to hiss quietly.

Hawk never understood why they did that hissing sound. It wasn't even
scary.

Hawk stepped into his apartment and he closed the door behind him. The
apartment slipped into darkness and Little Mikey lunged at him. Hawk rose
his foot and caught the fool in the throat with a swift kick. The kick
caused Little Mikey to fall on the floor onto his back and when he was down,
Hawk moved in.

He picked up the little guy by his collar and slammed him hard against the
wall. Then he dragged him into the kitchen. As he did, he would slam his
head into a wall or counter top or whatever suited his needs. Little Mikey
was flailing about, but he was just no match for Hawk. Hawk slammed him one
more time, and Little Mikey went to dreamland.

When Little Mikey woke up, he was tied to a chair and he was on the patio.
His fangs were revealed as he glared at Hawk with yellow eyes of hatred.

"Let me go!" he declared.

Hawk looked at him. "Tell me who wants the girl."

"Go to hell!"

Hawk showed him a nice big set of pliers. "Who is after the girl?"

Little Mikey blinked at the pliers. "Hey...uh...wh-what are you going to do
with those?"

"I'm only a bad ass at night, blood. During the day, I do dentistry."

Little Mikey swallowed. "I-is this a joke?"

"Let's see if you think the joke is funny after I do this."

The "this" was Hawk forcing open Little Mikey's mouth and ripping out a fang
with the pliers. Little Mikey cried, whimpered, and begged. Then he told
Hawk who was after the girl. Of course, this was after Hawk had removed all
of his teeth.

"I'm un pun, mon," Little Mikey said.

"Don't worry. I have one of nature's best sedatives for you, man," Hawk
told him.

Little Mikey looked at him. "Huh?"

"The sun will be up soon."

Little Mikey looked out and saw that Hawk was right. The sun was just
beginning to rise. He looked at Hawk and pleaded with him.

Hawk shook his head. "I just can't stand a whimpering dead boy." Without
warning, he grabbed a hold of Little Mikey's head and he twisted hard.
There was a loud snap and Hawk found himself holding onto the vampire's
head.

The body fell to dust, and then the head followed its fate. Hawk dusted
himself off and he looked at the results of his work. "Damn," he said
softly. "Gotta give the cleaning lady a bigger tip for the extra vacuuming
she'll have to do."

* * *

Somehow, she trusted me. I didn't fully understand why she did, but I was
glad she could find it within her to trust someone. It would be a horrible
thing to go through something without having someone there for support.

I understood that my Jane Doe needed something and I think that she
understood that I needed something, too. It was like we each had a hole in
out lives that needed filling. She seemed to recognize that there was
something wrong with me. She sensed my illness somehow, at least, even
though she didn't know what it was. And I really don't know of any other
way to explain how I knew this other than to say that it was in her green
eyes.

She had the most beautiful, expressive green eyes I had ever seen. I
believe she was fully capable of speaking volumes with those eyes and in the
beginning, I was able to learn a little of what she was trying to
communicate to me through her eyes.

The hospital was gracious enough to donate clothes and other necessities for
her before we left that morning. I was given a Xanax prescription for her
anxiety and she was supposed to take it twice a day. That was already a
hurdle we had to get over.

She had refused to take the first pill.

She had been given the pill and a cup of water and she didn't touch either
one. There they were on the surface of her tray within easy reach. She
just didn't reach for it. She didn't push it away either. She just looked
at it.

Then she looked at me.

I saw her fear, her confusion, and her desperation in her eyes and I felt
badly for her. I also believed I knew why she wouldn't take the pill. She
had been drugged before this, but against her will. She may not have
remembered the details, and yet her subconscious mind recognized something.

I smiled reassuringly at her. "You don't have to take it if you don't want
to."

She didn't want to, so she didn't take it.

About an hour later, we were standing together outside the hospital with the
morning sun shining upon us. I felt different somehow. As I looked down at
Jane Doe, I wondered if my daughter would have had red hair and green eyes.

She looked around and there were a great deal of mixed emotions on her face.
It was a mixture of wonder and curiosity. I wondered if she was even from
the city.

Maybe she wasn't a city girl.

I could have asked her a lot of questions, but there wouldn't have been any
point. Asking her questions at a time like this would only make her afraid.
The best way to go about this was to just act natural and let her
surroundings stimulate her memories.

"Are you hungry?" I asked her.

She looked up at me and seemed to hesitate. I thought it was cute watching
her scrunch her nose up as she thought about it. Finally, she nodded.

All she had at the hospital was broth. Broth which she hardly touched. The
doctor had told me that she should be able to eat solid food and I hoped
that she would. I took her to my car, buckled her into the front seat, put
her belongings into the back, and then I started the car.

She looked at me and pointed at her seat belt.

I chuckled. I put on my own seat belt.

The first place we stopped at on the way to my apartment was the local
grocery store. I knew what kinds of foods I enjoyed, but I wasn't certain
if the young lady had the same tastes as I did. Probably not. I liked the
gourmet food served with the fine wines and the fancy deserts. I not only
drank wine with my dinner but I also cooked with Jack Daniels. I think I
had to change the menu a bit for her sake.

I wondered if that's how it was with fathers. Did they have to change a
habit that they were accustomed to in order to change something better for
their children? I thought about that. As I looked at the young lady beside
me, I knew that she would be worth any amount of changing if it made her
happy.

We went inside the store.

I grabbed milk and eggs. Bacon and sausage links. Hotdogs and rolls. I
even picked up some OJ and when I saw the price, I realized that it wasn't
free at all. Okay. I admit it. That was a very bad pun. Even I have
them.

I thought she would have wanted soda pop but she chose bottled water
instead. It made me think of the sweetness of soda because if a certain
kind of drug were added to the soda, the sweetness of it would disguise the
drug.

She didn't seem to like candy either or potato chips, so I decided to stock
up on fruits and vegetables. The only sweet stuff I managed to get was a
box of Trix, but I think she picked that out because she thought the bunny
was cute.

I paid for the groceries, we packed it in the trunk, and then we left. We
were both buckled because it was the law and there was a new sheriff with
red hair in town who would give you the eye if you didn't buckle. I grinned
as I drove to my apartment.

Before we got to my place, however, we had one more stop to make.

The reason we had to stop was because something had caught her full
attention and she began to point. At first, I didn't know what she was
pointing at. But whatever it was, it was in Commons Park.

I wasn't going to pass up an opportunity for her like this so I pulled over
and I parked. We got out and she and I headed into the park. She held my
hand and she led me the way. As we got closer to what she had seen she
seemed to be both amazed and excited about it. As we stood before it, she
couldn't take her eyes away from it.

"It's a tree," I told her. "It's called a Weeping Willow."

The tree was quite tall and the long leaves came out like an umbrella. She
let go of my hand and she put her hands through the leaves. I looked at her
face and realized that she was thinking hard about something.

I looked at the tree. "Does a Weeping Willow mean anything to you?" I asked
her.

She looked at me and puzzled over it some more. She chewed her lower lip
and scrunched up her fabulous nose. Whatever she was trying to remember was
there. She just couldn't get it.

"Do you want to be called Jane?" I asked her.

She shook her head and made a face as if to say that she did not look like a
Jane.

"How about...Willow?" I paused, watching her. "Would you like me to call
you Willow?"

She looked at me thoughtfully. Once again, I could see her thinking about
it. She looked up at the tree.

"It's a pretty name for a pretty girl. It's also unique. One of a kind."
I smiled at her and I shrugged. "I don't know of many girls who have the
name 'Willow'."

She smiled for the first time since I saw her and it looked good on her.
Her smile was progress.

And I didn't have to call her Jane any more.

No.

Now I would just call her Willow.

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