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No One Knows	By : SisterWine Category: Angel the Series > Het - Male/Female Views: 2433 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: "Angel the Series" and characters of program belongs to Joss Whedon and David Greenwalt, Mutant Enemy/Lazy Dave Productions. I own Jadera/Ja De Ra. I make no moneys on this fic. This is purely fiction. I do NOT buy, sell, steal or trade.

Chapter List
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- 3
Hyperion Hotel

Wesley and Cordelia opened the doors to the lobby and strode in, carrying weapons that had been placed in the backseat of Angel's car, just in case. They had been followed by a strained Lindsey, who carried an unconscious Jadera. It had been Wesley's idea to move them out of the hotel room and back to the Hyperion, for safety reasons. It had been against both Lindsey and Cordelia's agreement. They hadn't paid any attention to who else was in the room as they went about their own activities; Wesley and Cordelia replacing the weapons to the cabinet while Lindsey carried Jadera over to the sofa and placed her on the cushions.

Cordelia handed the crossbow to Wesley and then hurried over to her desk for the First Aid Kit. She opened it and rifled through it, making sure she had everything well stocked. Closing the lid and making her way over to where Lindsey sat, she knelt on the floor and assessed the two long, deep scratches on Jadera's left arm. "What the Hell are these things?" Asking about the demons that had met them at the hotel room door. She, again, rifled through the kit and found the ointment to apply on the scratches and a q-tip. As she spread the clear gel on to the scratches, she caught Lindsey watching her, out of the corner of her eye.

"They're a lower class of Craegohr demon. More mindless but, don't stop coming unless they're dead. They found me a few months ago and followed me back here." Lindsey's voice was soft and hoarse. He watched the way Cordelia had been so thorough and tendre with Jadera's injuries as the other woman hadn't regained consciousness, yet.

Closing the cabinet doors to the weaponry, Wesley moved to stand on the other side of the sofa. "Why did you come back to Los Angeles?" He watched as Cordelia wrapped Jadera's wounded forearm in gause, after cleaning and medicating it.

Lindsey took a moment before answering. "Caritas is the only place they'd leave us alone."

Angel heard voices that were more than just Cordelia and Wesley and knew that Gunn left him to gather intel from his associates, on other issues. He made his way up from the basement and opened the door. The familliar male voice caused his muscles to tense as a bitter taste settled in his mouth. In turning the corner and entering the lobby, he caught sight of the young man that earned a snarl upon meeting eyes. "What's he doing here?" Looking from Lindsey to the unconscious woman, on the sofa, Angel sighed. "You were just supposed to observe. How hard is that?"

"Hey, don't blame this on me. It was Wesley's idea to bring them here." Cordelia snapped.

Lindsey stood up and sneered back at the grumpy vampire. "Hey, this wasn't my idea, either! These two led those Craegohr demons to us. And, thanks to you, they'll be watching for us at Caritas." Puffing out his chest as Angel made his way over to the circle and visually examined the woman on the sofa, he breathed and remembered he had been outnumbered in their current settings. Lindsey clenched his fists, wanting Angel to step closer to him so that he could beat some sense into him.

"Does she know you're not a good lil boy, Lindsey?" Angel taunted. Meeting the lawyer's eyes, again, he shifted and folded his arms in front of him.

Lindsey's anger rose and caused his fists to clench even tighter since Angel inched ever closer. "Yea, she knows."

Angel nodded and observed Lindsey's protective spirit over the woman. "What makes you think she'll stand by you, with that knowledge in mind? Trying to correct your mistake with Darla?" He smirked as the scent of ire rolled off of his adversary. "She just might be using you to chop you up into little pieces and have her 'god' status reinstated. Ever think of that?" Angel knew he walked a fine line with his last comment and was ready for Lindsey's retalliation. He enjoyed flustering and teasing the young lawyer and debated calling Wolfram & Hart, just to have Lindsey out of his hair. However, that would set off more bells and whistles for Angel, in the process, and he was not willing to put himself in the limelight, just to get back at Lindsey.

"What's she doing here?" Angel grunted.

Cordelia looked up from taping the last bandage in place. "Healing. You should have seen what she did to those ghouls. Practically leveled a three mile radius with that sonic blast of hers." She recalled Jadera's attempt to save them by causing a large tremour under the parking lot, forcing the attackers away, and blowing herself back into the hotel room door, as they hadn't wanted to upset the forceful woman more. Her attention was called back to Jadera as the woman moaned and started coming around. "Relax. You're safe." Her tone was soft and comforting as she urged her patient to remain lying down until her strength returned fully. Wiping her forehead with the back of her hand, she sighed and stood up to turn and look at Lindsey. "Why are you with her?"

Lindsey turned to find Cordelia standing next to him. "Because they're after her, too. Moreso than me." Glancing back to Jadera, Lindsey opened up about their unique relationship. "She was the one that called me to Holland's attention. She's had considerable influence over my position at Wolfram & Hart. Very few people get this much time with her, even the corporate heads have to have months of preparations and ceremonies to even get a moment of her time." Lindsey's expression did it's best to conceal the affection he felt for her.

"So, you two decided to join forces and make one small target, instead of two. Charitable." Tilting his head and smirking at the flash of puppy love Lindsey had tried to hide, Angel moved to stand on the other side of the sofa and stare down, over the back, at the sleeping woman. "They're so afraid of her then, why are they trying to kill her? Or, is it because she won't kill you?" He laughed softly at the irony. "You know, you guys really are a bunch of half-wit losers, over there."

Lindsey huffed, tired of fighting with Angel. "For thousands of years, she was the best at what she had to offer to the company. She didn't simply start on the ground floor."

"So she went right to the top? No personal favours? No mailroom bonding?" Curiosity had taken hold of Cordelia and her brow furrowed as she had become confused by the conversation between Angel and Lindsey. "They just poofed in and made her a CEO of an international hub?"

Shaking his head, Lindsey didn't turn around. His head hurt too much to go into too deep of an explanation. "Much higher. Much more sinister than that."

Angel had begun to get impatient. "How high are we talking?" He gripped the back of the sofa so tight that the wood framing cracked under the force.

Lindsey finally sighed. "The Senior Partners have never approached anyone, themselves, before or since her. A really pissed off god makes for Angellus looking like fuzzy bunny slippers and hot cocoa." He smiled at the anger that boiled in Angel's expression towards the analogy.

"Senior Partners. You mean, she's their right-hand-woman?" Cordelia eyed the sleeping Jadera and took a step away from her.

Lindsey shook his head again. "She is a Senior Partner."

Wesley had remained silent, listening to the exchange while focusing on Jadera. He stood with his arms folded and brow furrowed, for the longest time, before stepping closer to the end of the sofa. "That would explain why the Powers That Be mucked up the vision. They saw her as a threat, not only to Lindsey, but to humanity and, therefore, tried to solve the Senior Partners' trouble by having us kill her, first." Giving his full attention to the sleeping woman, Wesley finished his thought. "They will be coming after her more than Lindsey, with everything they've got. Not just the Senior Partners but The Powers. Lindsey," catching the ex-lawyer's eye, "forgive me, would be just the icing on the cake. So to speak."

Shrugging off the feeling of being called "bait", Lindsey thought about the situation. "She's not that easy to kill. Jadera's survived countless incarnations of evil and good trying to kill her." He had taken offense to the statement Wesley had put together but, in a moment of weakness, pleaded for her life. "If both of our higher ups are after her, then, shouldn't we be figuring something out? The Senior Partners want me dead for leaving but, they want her dead because of what she can offer the do-gooders of the world."

Rubbing his forehead and trying to think through the ache Lindsey's presence was giving him, Angel had had enough. "Then, I suppose we should get some rest. We'll get a fresh start, tomorrow. Wesley can help you find another motel that's safe."

"I can what?" Wesley had been taken aback by the notion. "Angel, they can't leave. Wolfram & Hart will send every known demon and mercenary available after them. This is the safest place for them, right now."

Angel's eyes opened wide and a shiver raced down his spine. He hated the idea of being in a single room with Lindsey and now, was forced to share his home with the man. "Fine," he snarled. Turning and starting for the stairs in a huff, Angel hadn't cared which room or floor they took, as long as it was far away from his suite. The halls echoed with the slam of his door.

*(%!

Lindsey carried Jadera down the third floor hall, chosing a room that had been revamped and cleaned for guests. Cordelia unlocked the door and opened it before flipping on the lights. He thanked her as she had carried the small backpack of supplies and clothing Jadera travelled with, up and set them down on the chair, beside the window. As he laid the woman down, on the queen-sized bed, he placed his own duffel of clothing down, on the other side of the nightstand.

Cordelia watched how careful he was with Jadera and the care he took in defending her. They loved each other but dared not say it. A nervous smile as she met Lindsey's eyes. "Uh, Wesley has the first watch. But, it's always best to lock the door." She bit her lip out of nervousness. "You know, she must be a great judge of character if she chose you as an ally. I mean, the whole being bad thing isn't something to look for in a person but, you care for each other. I think that has to be a step in the right direction, don't you?"

Smiling at the complement, Lindsey glanced down at Jadera and then back to Cordelia. "She's not as good as you think. She makes me look like.... well... but, thanks."

Cordelia smiled, unsure of what to say. "I'll uh, let you get some rest." Another nervous smile as she backed out of the room and shut the door. She wondered what it was like to be in such a role with Lindsey that romance was only considered a wild card neither would play unless absolutely necessary. She envied Jadera but also loathed Lindsey for his constant threat to Angel. As she made her way downstairs, Cordelia couldn't help but imagine a romantic situation with Lindsey. Shaking her head as she hurried down the steps to the lobby, she mumbled to herself, "gross."

Wesley flipped through the pages of a very thick and old book with an irritation of what their next move was and sighed as Gunn was have the same luck, with another, thinner and less old, book. "Are they settled, for the night?" Asking while reading a few lines of an ancient text, he glanced up only once to see Cordelia's expression as she reached the last step. The expression perplexed him but not enough to ask any questions on the subject.

"Oh, they're just peachy! I'm sure she's up there, right now, waking up and beckoning him to her side so she can smother him in kisses with her goddesslike lips and--" Cordelia stopped at the bottom of the stairs and stared at the two men, who had paused to listen to her rant with brows furrowed. "They're fine. All snug as bugs in a moldy old hotel room. I'm going home." Gathering her things from her desk and hurrying out the door, she hadn't bothered to take a final look back at Wesley and Gunn, watching her with mouths agape.

Gunn closed his book and pushed himself away from the countre that he had been standing at and took three steps towards the door Cordelia had briskly walked out of. "Did I miss somethin', here? Who's the 'they'?"

"Of course, you weren't here for that part. Cordelia and I tracked down Lindsey and Jadera and, after Jadera gruesomely slaughtered roughly 10 Craegohr demons, we had no choice but to bring them here, for the night." Wesley sighed and tried to convince himself it had been the right decision to make. So far, he had only convinced himself to formulate the words to the idea. He wasn't even sure he liked the idea of them being there, at all, now that he saw it unfold.

Gun nodded slowly. "Who had that lame idea?"

Raising his hand and quickly recovering to shove the same hand through his short, dark hair, Wesley coughed and shrugged away his answer. "Yes, well, shall we keep looking for how to kill these demons and find the obelisk?"

"So, girl got some skills?" Gunn smirked and opened another book that had been underneath of the one he had just closed.

Smiling and recalling what he had observed from the aftermath and the few that had mistakenly made an effort to succeed where the rest of the pack hadn't, Wesley nodded. "Yes. Several millennia of honing her skills and using her abilities could prove to be a considerable ally for us. However, there is one tiny flaw in that plan."

Gunn waited for the explanation. "What's that?"

"Nothing really. Just the fact that she happens to be one of Wolfram & Hart's Senior Partners."

Gunn looked up from the book he had perused. He stared at Wesley, in shock of what he thought he heard. "I'm sorry, it sounds like you said she's a Senior Partner at the enemy." He had hoped his ears heard wrong yet, the look on Welsey's face was not one of a jovial mood.

Wesley's eyes widened but hadn't focused on Gunn's expression. "Oh, quite serious, actually. From what my intel has gathered about her and what Lindsey confirmed, tonight, I'd say she was approached around the turn of the first century. She's known for her temper tantrums and her battle skill is really impressive. Lindsey seems to be unafraid of her. That could work to our advantage."

"We need all the help we can get, right now. Still have to find the obelisk before Wolfram & Hart figure out how to use it." Gunn took a deep breath and delved back into the book he was flipping through as Welsey stepped closer to the countre and helped him.

*(%!

By the next morning, Jadera had been fully recovered and awake to look about her new surroundings. Lindsey laid beside her, on the bed. He had given her the comforter while he used his jacket to cover himself. Smiling and not wanting to disturb him, she softly placed the comforter over him and slipped off of the bed. Sighing and padding through the suite as the sun slitted its rays through the vertical blinds, on the floor, where they were perplexed her. She had remembered a small glimpse of Lindsey standing in the middle of a giant, elegant lobby, arguing with another male voice but hadn't thought it was within reality. She made her way to the door and opened it, quietly.

Jadera stood in the corridor and looked up and down the rows of doors. It had been a strange place to wake up in but, if Lindsey felt safe enough to bring them there and then fall asleep and remain asleep, it couldn't be all bad. She made her way to the lift and stepped inside, as the doors opened. Pressing the Lobby button, she decided to explore their surroundings and make sure they were safe. When the doors opened, she stepped out, into the huge room, feeling as though she had just stepped back in time to Herculaneum and it's polished marble floors and vaulted ceilings and paintings. Making her way to stand where Lindsey stood, in the middle of one circle of chairs, she realised it hadn't been a dream. Movement from across the floor caught her eye and she turned to find Cordelia coming out of the back office. "Where are we?" Making her way over to the countre that had several small piles of books still to go through on it, Jadera paused to see Cordelia jump at the sudden voice.

Cordelia paused and took a deep breath, calming down from the scare she received. "Safe."

"From whom?"

Cordelia shrugged and continued on to her own desk, placing the book she had borrowed, down on the desk and opened it to a lesser known but more mischievious demon. "I'll keep you posted." She hadn't been paying attention to what the other woman was looking at but heard pages turning and then a bored but audible sound as the turning stopped.

Jadera stared at a page with ancient, indecipherable writing on it and mumbled something under her breath. "I should have known, Tol'kar."

Standing up and slowly making her way over to the countre, Cordelia's brow furrowed. "Tol- what?"

"His name is Tol'karakmyzq. He's a higher chaos demon from the Jerantiq period." Seeing Cordelia's brow furrow even more, she elaborated. "About a thousand or so years before Caesar ruled." Jadera smiled as she remembered simpler, more sinister times. "He was my confident during the Roman collapse. Every chaos demon tries to make a name for themselves and get noticed by Those Ascended. They really like it when humans create a massacre of epic proportions. Tol'kar didn't take his rejection well. I topped his Mesopotamia stunt with my ascension." Jadera sighed and looked down at the red drawing of a rather scaly behemouth of a demon with four front fangs that resembled tusks, vertical eyes that measured three inches long and two inches wide. Long, twisted back horns made to look like extremely long dredlocks drove the point home that this was a demon not to mess with.

"So, you knew him--?" Cordelia didn't want to finish the question.

The smile faded from Jadera's expression. "Those Ascended are always watching. They are the higher beings on both sides; good, bad. There has to be a tremendous act of force, in one direction, before either side approaches demons, beings, gods, goddesses and such. They are your Powers That Be and Lindsey's 'Senior Partners'." She watched as the realisation set in with Cordelia.

Cordelia shifted. "So, what was your 'big ta-da' moment?"

"Caligula."

"Oh." Quickly, Cordelia changed the subject. "Why do you think it's him?"

Jadera sighed and read a few lines from the page. "Chaos demons of Tol'kar's lineage use idols to bring down their oponents. The obelisk was one of the most powerful centre pieces on Egypt, more concise, my era. I assume you mean Amun Hotep's obelisk, correct? The last time that obelisk was successfully used, Amun Te Ra and his acolytes rained Hell down on Pharaoh Khafra. The obelisk you seek came from Mastabas. After it was raised, priests from all over Egypt came to bless it. After the blessing, it held considerable power of Pharaoh." Swallowing the anger in her throat, Jadera glanced away. "Tol'kar knows they are looking for Lindsey, and to get back at me, he will stop at nothing to see Lindsey receive punishment."

Making his way down the stairs, from the left, Angel finished buttoning his shirt and focused on the deity. "How dangerous is this demon?" Stopping at the landing, Angel raised an eyebrow at the woman standing at the desk and sighed as he knew Lindsey wasn't far away.

Jadera turned to face the vampire on the landing. "You must be 'Angel'. Lindsey's shared so many things about you." She smirked and watched Angel's slow pace as he descended the rest of the steps to the lobby floor.

"Oh, everything 'good', I hope." Angel flashed a smile.

Jadera matched his smile. "Only when naming 'Angellus.' Shame. We're stuck with you."

Sneering and catching movement out of the corner of his right eye, Angel directed his next comment to Jadera's companion. "I can see why you're tagging along, Lindsey. You have the same sense of humour."

Stepping down the carpeted marble stairs and keeping watch between Jadera and Angel, Lindsey sighed at the on-coming headache the day would bring. He had showered and changed and looked around their appointed room and floor for her but changed course after hearing Jadera and Angel exchange words. "I wouldn't put her in the same basket as Wolfram & Hart."

Clearing her throat, Cordelia interjected her own spit into the pyre, "how about we focus on working together to get the obelisk back and avert the decimation of the rest of us poor saps that have to sit and listen to you three 'one-up' each other. We get it; you're bad," motioning to Lindsey and then to Jadera, "she's mass-destruction and," looking from Jadera to Angel with a guilty expression, "you're-- in the middle. There's a lot more at stake than just egos, here." Cordelia blinked at the silent stares that came from the three people. "What?"

"Where is the obelisk, now?" Jadera's expression hardened as she stared at the young woman.

Angel made his way behind the countre to retrieve the onyx crystal and medallion that Gunn had handed over. "Your decipals have the obelisk stashed in an underground vault, in Mullholland. A friend was able to snatch these away. Any idea what they're used for?" Placing both items on the countretop, he watched Jadera's expression as she eyed the medallion.

Jadera took a deep breath as she stared at the long-dead language written on the medallion. "When I was a little girl, Menes had a Priest in Hikuptah, or what you would call Memphis, in your texts. Menes had a temple to Ptah built, worthy of praise and aspirations for centuries to come. Ptah smiled down on us and Menes governed the land with prosperity and grace. This Priest was secreted there and searched for for young boys to hone his patronage; teach them the priesthood. Several tests were involved, much like the tests of Dahli Lama. These tests were so complex that no boy in Hikuptah could answer them with correction. Six tests in all and my brother was the only one to answer five of them. The last test stumped men, priests and king alike."

Lindsey stepped over to stand beside her. "What was the last test?"

"Deciphuring this medallion and placing it in it's place on the obelisk of Amun Te Ra by sunset of harvest solstice." Blinking as she caught Lindsey's eye, she feared his next question.

Lindsey swallowed. "The last question wasn't meant to be answered. Was it?"

"No." Jadera shook her head and picked up the medallion, remembering the weight of it as her five-year-old hands held it, before King Menes. "No human should ever learn this language as no human was ever taught. When the Priest placed me before Menes, I was to be executed for my understanding. Horus showed leniency and demanded I be given god status. Horus had written the inscription, himself, and had given it to Menes. By keeping me alive, Menes' kingdom flourished."

Angel's brow furrowed. "How does your scaly friend with the horns figure into all of this?" Noting the book open to the page of Tol'karakmyzq.

Jadera looked down at the page and then back to the crystal, picking up the gem and holding it in her hand. "The first time Amun Te Ra was risen, Tol'kar was the keeper of the obelisk's summoning crystal. Therefore, he kept the obelisk, an item that was not meant to leave Mastabas or be found, at all. Some history was meant to remain buried."

"So, when is this solstice thingy supposed to take place?" Cordelia took the medallion from the woman's right hand, eyeing the strange writing and turning it, countre-clockwise to see if it would make sense.

"Tomorrow night." Jadera's tone was flat.

Continued.
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