Light's Shadow

Disclaimer : I do not own these characters. Smarter, richer people than I do. And I respect them for that. I'm not making any money off this story (sadly), it's just for fun and such. Enjoy!

Angel had convinced him to go home and get some rest. Both Angel and Cordelia had noticed that Doyle wasn't sleeping well. He was always tired lately, and he refused to explain why.

As soon as his head hit the pillow, Doyle was asleep. And dreaming...

Doyle, Darren, and Nadia had agreed that it was time to go. They couldn't remember how long they'd been in the dungeon, but they weren't going to stay any longer.

The chains were old, rusted. The guard was the same. Darren broke his neck when he tried to give him his meal, and he took the keys.

Within minutes they were free. Darren, Doyle, and Nadia held the guards back, giving the other prisoners time to get out.

They were running through the catacombs, now. The murky waters splashed under their feet. The rocks threatened to make them slip.

Doyle held tight to Nadia's hand. They could hear the guards behind them, fumbling in the dark. They could see the grate ahead of them. It was beginning to close. They ran faster.

Darren ducked under the grate, and Doyle rolled.

"Doyle!" Nadia screamed.

"No!"

The arrow pierced through her stomach. She fell. The guards caught up to her. The grate was closed.

"Nadia!" Doyle screamed.

"Doyle, come on!" Darren yelled at him. "You can't help her!" He tried to pull him away.

Doyle knew that Darren was right. The grate was closed. Nadia was trapped on the other side.

Nadia screamed, as the guards started dragging her back.

Doyle couldn't move. He was rooted to the spot. He had to help her. He couldn't leave her there to die.

As if reading his thoughts, Darren yelled, "There's nothing you can do!"

Darren didn't wait for a response. He grabbed Doyle's arm, and pulled him away from the grate. And Nadia.

"DOYLE!" she screamed after him.

"Nadia!" Doyle sat up, awakened from his dream. The dream that was a memory he had long ago buried in the back of his mind. The dream that had haunted him for more than a week now.

Angel had been wrong. Sleep wasn't what Doyle needed. Sleep was what he had to avoid.

Doyle got out of bed slowly, his mind dwelling on the dream. The sound of her scream echoed in his head, and he felt the pain of the guilt that he still felt for having left her behind. That had been almost one hundred years ago. And Nadia was still the only thing he always thought about.

He splashed water on his face, then stared at his reflection in the mirror. "After all these years, Nad, why have you come back to haunt me?"

A thought entered Doyle's mind for the briefest of seconds. What if Nadia was still alive? But he dismissed the thought immediately. If she was still alive, she would have tried to find him. Wouldn't she?

Doyle went back into his bedroom, looked at the clock, then decided to go see what Angel and Cordelia were doing.

At the same moment as Doyle had thought that Nadia could be alive, there had been a knock on Angel's door.

"Can I help you?" Angel asked.

"I'm looking for someone."

Angel had let her in without questioning her intentions. He'd believed what she'd told him.

* * *

Doyle unlocked the door, and let himself in. "Angel?" he called inside.

"Hey, Doyle." Cordelia smiled at him. "I thought you were getting some sleep?"

"I did. I feel much better now." he smiled back, even though he was lying.

"Doyle, there's someone here to see you." Angel told him.

"Does he have spikes in a crown around his head?" he asked, ready to bolt if whoever it was matched that description.

Angel shook his head. "No, she's not Darth Maul."

"What does he want?"

"She wants to talk to you."

"She? She who?"

"She said her name was Nadia."

"No." Doyle was suddenly filled with an anger that he hadn't felt in years. "No. Nadia's dead, Angel. I don't know who told you about her, but if you ever, ever try to trick me like that again-"

"Look, I'm sorry. I'm just telling you that that's what she said her name was. Don't shoot the messenger." Angel put up his hands in surrender.

"Where is she?"

"In the back room."

Doyle stormed into the back room. He was used to having old memories dredged up by demons trying to collect what he owed them, but this was going too far.

He pushed the door open, and stood facing the hooded figure that sat on the couch. "How dare you!" Doyle accused. "I don't care what I owe you, but no one uses that name to get it!"

The hooded figure stood slowly. "It is you."

Doyle thought he recognized the voice, but he refused to believe that this was anything other than a trick. "I don't know who told you about Nadia, and I don't care. Don't you ever-"

"I came to warn you-"

He threw his hands up in the air. "And now you're threatening me." Doyle shook his head. "I think you'd better leave. And tell your boss that he's not getting any of his money. Not now, after this crap. Who are you working for?" he demanded.

"You should have asked me that before you told me that you wouldn't pay." she replied. "Only an idiot would tell you who they were working for now."

"So, you are here for money."

"No, I came to see you, Doyle." She was moving toward him.

"Stay there! No, actually, just get the hell out of here! And don't come back, either!"

"Doyle, it's me." She put her hand on his arm, and looked up at him.

He recognized her immediately, and drew back. "No. You're dead." His voice was quivering. "They dragged you away, and you..." His sentence trailed off, as she moved closer.

"They didn't kill me, Doyle. They kept me prisoner, hoping you'd come back for me. It was you that the Dah Jee were after. And are still after. That's why I'm here. I had to warn you. Thye're here, in LA."

"Who are you? Why should I believe you?" Doyle regained his indignation. "What do you want?"

"You know who I am. That's why you should believe me." Doyle was shaking his head. "Doyle, whether you want to accept the fact that I'm here, and not dead, is irrelevant. You're in great danger. That is relevant. You have to get away from here."

Doyle gazed into her eyes, searching for some sign that she was lying. The seriousness of the look on his face made her crack into a smile, and she tried to not to laugh. The smile brought a light to her eyes, the same light that Doyle had fallen in love with.

Overwhelmed by emotions he had buried more than a century ago, Doyle reached out with his hand, and touched the side of her face that she'd kept hidden in the shadow of the hood.

She stepped away from him. "There's something you should know, before I let you see me." she said carefully. He waited. "I - there was a fire in the Dah Jee's palace, and I was...trapped inside."

Doyle took a step toward her, and she stepped back. "Now you're afraid of me." he said, a hint of disbelief in his voice.

She arched her eyebrow. "I have never been afraid of you, Doyle."

He smiled at her, then folded down her hood. The entire left side of her face was badly scarred, and it ran down to hide under her cloak.

Doyle put his hand on the scarred cheek, and his eyes filled with tears. "I'm sorry, Nad. I didn't want to leave you." he choked.

"You didn't have a choice." She pulled him close to her.

"Nadia, I have spent the last hundred years trying to deal with your death. First you, then Darren. And it was my fault."

Nadia withdrew from the embrace. "What? How did they get to Darren?"

"After we got out of the catacombs, we ran to a small village to hide out for the night. We thought we'd be safe, at least until morning. Darren slipped out while I was sleeping. Everyone gathered around the butchery kind of gave away what had happened to him." Doyle explained sadly.

The phone on the desk in the next room started ringing. Cordelia answered it, her back to Doyle and Nadia.

"Yeah, he - oh my God!" Cordelia had turned around to call to Angel, and she saw Doyle and Nadia holding eachother. "Doyle?" She couldn't believe her eyes. She put down the phone, and strode into the other room. "What could you possibly see in Doyle?" Cordelia demanded.

Doyle turned to face Cordelia. "Don't you ever knock?"

Cordelia's eyes went wide when she saw Nadia's scars. "You know, you can probably get cream for that."

"Cordelia!" Doyle snapped.

"What? I'm just trying to help. God, have a hissy."

Angel entered, and asked, "Cordy, who was that on the phone?"

"Oh, it was just Kate." she shrugged.

Angel picked up the phone. "Hello? Kate?" When there was no answer, he hung up. "She hung up. Cordy, you can't just answer the phone, and then leave them. I'm not psychic. I don't know if it's for me unless you say so."

"Hey! I don't have to put up with this, Angel! I work and work for you, but do I get paid?"

"Cordy, answering the phone isn't brain surgery." Angel shot back.

Doyle wasn't listening to them bicker. He felt a dull ache in his head. He automatically went to the desk, and picked up a pen.

Nadia followed him. He bent over, leaning his hand on the desk, as the pain intensified. Nadia put one hand on his shoulder, and the other on his hand.

"Something's not right."

"What do you mean?"

"It shouldn't take this long."

"Are you having a vision?" Cordelia asked him. When he didn't answer, she turned the question on Nadia. "Is he having a vision?"

Doyle answered her, "No, Cordelia. This is something else." He rubbed his temple with his fingertips.

"Do you want an aspirin?" Codelia offered.

"What else could it be?" Angel asked.

Doyle winced, pressing the other temple with his other hand. He opened his mouth to answer, but only a loud moan came out. He blinked hard. The pain was blinding. All he could see was bright white.

Doyle stumbled backward a few steps, then fell to his knees, screaming.

"What can we do?" Angel asked quickly.

Nadia knelt beside Doyle, cradling him in her arms. "I don't think there's anything we can do."

"Do you know what's causing this?"

"I have no idea." She shook her head.

"Stop it! Please stop it!" Doyle yelled at no one in particular.

And then the pain was gone, and Doyle saw himself on fire.

"Doyle? It's alright now." Nadia whispered.

He opened his eyes, but stared blankly ahead of him, not seeing. He was shaking.

Nadia realized that nothing she could say would comfort him, so she just held him.

"She is with him." Drak'Tar reported, making signs in the air with the smoke.

"Did he see what we wanted him to see?" Tsin-Lok asked.

Drak'Tar sat in silence, awaiting the answer. "Yes."

Tsin-Lok turned to face Kon-Chee. He grinned, exposing his razor sharp, fang-like teeth, and glowing maroon eyes. "He will pay for your suffering, Drak'Tar." Kon-Chee hissed.

Drak'Tar allowed himself to settle on the ground. He picked the orange crystal out of the air, where it floated, and carried it over to the obelisk that it drew its power from. He set it in its crown at the top, then turned to face the other two Dah Jee.

"This deception will not likely last long." Drak'Tar hissed, an air of authority in his voice that all the Dah Jee respected. Drak'Tar was the oldest of them, and their leader. "Doyle has changed much in one hundred years."

"It will last long enough." Tsin-Lok replied.

"And then they figured out that I understood their magic, and could use it against them. They had to do something to get rid of me, so they set me free." Nadia was explaining to Doyle.

"That doesn't sound like the Dah Jee I know and hate."

"I know, me neither. But now I see that they set me free so that I'd lead them straight to you. I'm sorry, Doyle. I never even thought of it before. I just wanted to see you again."

Doyle half-smiled. "I'm glad you did."

"I was worried that you might have found someone else, and that seeing me again would compromise your new relationship. I didn't want to cause trouble, or anything. I just - "

"There's no one, Nad."

"What? Why not? You had a hundred years to find someone."

"I...just..." Doyle shrugged. "I couldn't find anyone willing to put up with me, I guess."

"But you tried to, right? You didn't let your guilt consume you, did you?"

"I...wasn't looking very hard." he admitted. "I left you behind. I got Darren killed. I decided I was better off alone."

"And miserable."

Doyle half-smiled. "And miserable."

Outside the closed office door, Cordelia sat quietly, listening to their conversation.

"Cordy, what are you doing?" Angel demanded when he saw her.

"I'm learning about Doyle." she answered.

"You mean you're spying on him."

"Spying is such a harsh word. And besides, aren't you even remotely curious about his past? I mean, what do we know about him? Nothing. And how do we know that this Nadia-chick can be trusted? Maybe she's evil. Maybe she's here for you. Oh, my God! Maybe she's after me! No one would ever suspect that! You have to protect me, Angel!"

"Calm down, Cordy. I think we should trust Doyle's judgement on this one. He'd know if it wasn't her. I'm sure of that."

"Yeah, well, had you been listening here with me, you'd know, as I do, that they haven't actually seen eachother in a hundred years. Oh, my God. That's one of those sarcastic phrases, and now it's the actual truth. That just blows my mind."

"I'm sure it does. Anyway, that doesn't make Nadia evil."

Cordelia didn't reply. She was listening in again.

"Doyle, they want you dead. You have to leave here as soon as possible." Cordelia heard Nadia say through the door.

"And go where, Nad? I'm tired of running. And I have friends here, and responsabilities, obligations to the Powers That Be."

"You never believed in them before, Doyle. You've changed more than I thought."

"I had to."

"Doyle, that wasn't a migraine, you know. That was Drak'Tar, I'm sure of it."

"What happened to what's-his-name?"

"Botrakken was killed in a battle that the Dah Jee eventually won. They wiped out the entire tribe of Cra-Nu in Germany."

"Oh, my God." Doyle shook his head sadly. "I knew a Cra-Nu. She had three kids. Sweetest things I ever met. But how do you know all this?"

"They kept me around for a hundred years, Doyle. I heard them talking, I spent time with their prisoners - "

Doyle cocked his head to the side. "What is it? There's something else."

Cordelia looked up at Angel. "See, Angel? He suspects that she's lying to him. She's evil."

"I think you're just jealous, Cordy. You're no longer the apple of Doyle's eye." Angel smiled mockingly.

"Me? Jealous? It's Doyle, not Brad Pitt! Ew!"

"You don't have to get all defensive on me, Cordy. I'm just tellin' you that it seems like - "

"I am not jealous of scar - faced, evil - magic lady."

"Don't let either of them hear you say that, Doyle'd take your head off. And I wouldn't be able to blame him for it, either. Nadia seems to be very special to him, Cordy, whether you like it or not."

"You know, you're right. Maybe I could take Nadia shopping. I'll get clothes, and she can get a facial." Cordelia said sardonically. "Maybe she can convince one of those Dah Jee guys to come along, as my date, and she can bring Doyle, and after we go shopping, we can go out for dinner."

"Did you say Dah Jee?" Angel chose to ignore the rest of what she had said.

"Yeah, have you heard of them? 'Angelic' Nadia said they were after Doyle."

"And they'll do whatever they have to to get him."

"And that's bad, right?"

Angel nodded. "Very bad. The Dah Jee have no guilt, no conscience, no mercy, no remorse. If they're out to get you, and they catch you, they will torture you until you die."

"And that is why we decided to escape last time." Doyle added, standing in the open doorway. "How long have you two been sitting here, spying on us?"

"Spying is such a harsh word." Cordelia said lightly.

"Not long." Angel answered at the same time.

"Why?"

Cordelia looked at Angel for a believable answer. "Uh - "

"Trust, Angel."

"What about trust?" Angel asked him, unsure of what he meant.

"I thought we had it." Doyle stated, then walked out of the office.

"Doyle - " Angel started to follow him.

Nadia pushed past Angel after Doyle. "Don't." she warned him.

"They need 'Special Time'." Cordelia said.

Angel stood in the doorway, watching Doyle and Nadia. "He seems...moodier than usual. Don't you think?"

Cordelia looked up at Angel, and shook her head. "He's just got a few issues. He probably thinks that we'll try to steal his girlfriend away from him. He's lost her once already, right?"

"But he has no reason to think that."

"I have no reasons for my explanation. It's a guy thing. You'd know better than I would about guy possessiveness."

"What are you going to do?" Nadia asked Doyle.

"I'm goin' home." Doyle answered. "We're not welcome here right now."

"You mean I'm not welcome here right now."

"Nad - "

"They're your friends, Doyle. They're just watching out for you. You should consider yourself lucky."

"I'm not that lucky." Doyle said, a sad look on his face. "Come on. I'll take you to my place." He held out his hand to her.

* * *

"Wow," Nadia said sarcastically, as Doyle opened the door to his apartment.

"It's a little messy, but...I only come here to sleep, anyway." he shrugged, leading the way to the kitchen.

Nadia nodded, trying not to laugh. "If it were anything else, I'd be worried about you."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't think you know how to keep anything organized, Doyle. This is exactly how you've always been."

"I would argue with you, but I know you're right."

Nadia smiled at him. "Don't stare at me. You're making me feel really self-conscious."

Doyle took her in his arms. "I hadn't realized that I was staring." He leaned closer to kiss her.

"Don't." She turned away from him.

Doyle put his hand on the scarred part of her face. "We all carry our scars." he whispered, then kissed her. He unbuttoned her cloak, and it fell to the floor.

Nadia backed away from Doyle. "Mine are a little more obvious." she told him.

Doyle shook his head. "I love you, Nad. I always have."

She smiled. "Do you mean that?"

"Of course I do." he answered, pulling her close to him again.

"But we haven't seen eachother in so long. We're not who we were."

"We're just a little older." He kissed her again.

Nadia pulled Doyle's shirt over his head.

"Alright, I think I found something." Cordelia said triumphantly, holding up a book.

Angel looked up at her from the book he was reading. "Read it to me?"

Cordelia shrugged. "'The Dah Jee. A race of demons that pick on one culture at a time, wiping each one out. When they come to the last of the species' kind, they take their time hunting the demon down, and then they torture him until he dies. Then the Dah Jee move on to another race of demons. It is believed that the Dah Jee wish to be the only race on the Earth.' Ego much." She looked up at Angel.

"Does it say anything else? About the types of places they like to live, or what they eat maybe?"

"They're going to kill Doyle, and you want to take them a snack?"

"No, I just want to find their weakness."

Cordelia sighed, skimming over the next paragraph. "They prefer veggies and fruits over meat. They don't think it's right to kill innocent little animals. Yeah, that's balanced. 'What's for dinner, Honey?' 'Tofu.' 'And when are we going to torture Doyle to death?' 'After dinner.'" Cordelia shook her head.

"They only torture the last of a species." Angel repeated thoughtfully. "Cordy, do you realize what this means?"

"That Nadia is evil?"

"No. Doyle must be - "

"The last porcupine-faced demon? That's a relief - I didn't mean that in a bad way." she added quickly. "I like Doyle, I really do, but the whole demon-thing is a total turn-off."

"You do realize that Doyle is over you now, right?"

"Like I care. I'm glad to have him off my back. I hope he and Scarface are happy."

"For someone who doesn't care, you sure seem jealous."

Cordelia shifted her eyes from the page she was reading to glare at Angel. "What have I to be jealous of? Doyle is a total loser! He dresses bad, I don't think his hair has ever met a comb! Ew! And did I mention that he's a total loser?"

"Yeah," Angel nodded. "You did."

Cordelia's expression changed from one of scorn to one of thoughtfulness. "He is kinda sweet, though. But I'm not jealous." she added.

Angel nodded, grinning, but he didn't push the subject to avoid an argument.

Cordelia was reading again. "Y'know what?"

"Hmm?"

"It doesn't say anything about magic."

"What magic?"

"Nadia said that she learned some of the Dah Jee's spells. That would seem to imply that they have some kind of magic, right? Well, it doesn't mention any magic, or spells, or anything." Cordelia explained.

Angel sighed, thinking. "I'll see if I have any more books that might prove helpful." he said, getting up, and going over to the book shelf.

"Where's Giles when you need him?" Cordelia asked rhetorically.

Angel threw her a smile over his shoulder, then began skimming titles. He took a few books off the shelf, and carried them back to the table.

Cordelia took one of the books, read the table of contents, checked the index, flipped through a few of the pages, then added it to the discard pile beside her.

"They use the Obelisk of Yonkra as a power source. They can possess a victim, give them visions of what the Dah Jee are planning to do to them," Angel paused, reading ahead. "Et cetera, et cetera. They can change their appearance to increase the amount of emotional torture inflicted on their chosen victim."

"Well, duh. I mean, if they wanted to they could change into an ex-girlfriend, or someone that the victim hasn't seen in...a hundred years. We have to call Doyle. You have pensive face again. That's what you were thinking, too, wasn't it?"

"No, Cordy, we can't jump to that conclusion. Not yet. We could be wrong."

"And Doyle could be dead. We should warn him, Angel. He needs to know, just in case."

Angel nodded slowly. "Alright. You call him, and warn him, Cordy. Don't just tell him that Nadia's evil. We don't know that. Just tell him what we've found, and that he should be careful, just in case."

"Me? But he's still mad at me for dissing his chick that could be a demon that's trying to kill him."

"Well, this'll give you a chance to apologize."

"What are you going to do that's better?" Cordelia crossed her arms across her chest.

"I'm going to try and find where these guys are hiding out."

"You're just gonna charge into their dark, dingy den?"

"No, I'm going to skulk. Maybe I can find something."

"Be careful. You're my only source of income right now."

Angel nodded, unsure of how he should take that comment.

Cordelia went into the office, and dialled Doyle's number.

"You're phone's ringing." Nadia whispered in Doyle's ear.

"They can leave a message." he replied, kissing her neck.

She ran her fingers through his hair. "It's the fourth time that it's stopped then started again. Maybe it's important."

Doyle lifted himself up onto his hands, so that she could clearly see how much he didn't want to answer the phone. "They can leave a message." he repeated, then kissed her on the lips.

Nadia brushed her fingertips along his spine.

"That tickles." Doyle whined sarcastically.

Nadia laughed. "Well, that hasn't changed."

Doyle's smile faded, and he rolled off of her, and onto his back beside her.

"What's wrong?" she asked worriedly.

"It's either a vision, or they're at it again. Both kill the mood."

Nadia propped herself up on one elbow so that she was facing him. "I forgive you."

Doyle jerked like he'd been kicked. "It's not a vision." he barely managed to say, before he screamed.

Cordelia put down the phone, and ran down the hall. "Angel!" she called. "Are you still here?"

"Yeah, I'm just leaving." he answered. "Why?"

"I've called Doyle's, like, fifty times, and there's no answer."

"He's probably just ignoring it."

"Angel, after the third time, everyone picks up the phone to tell the caller off. Something's gotta be wrong at the Doyle Residence. So we should check it out, right?"

"Cordy, what would you do with your boyfriend if you hadn't seen him in a hundred years and the two of you were alone?"

"I'd never wait around for him for a hundred years. I'd move on with my life, and find someone else."

"Come on, Cordy. Alright, fine. Picture yourself as Doyle, poor lonely Doyle. Hasn't seen his girlfriend in a century. What is he doing?"

"Ew. Like I want to be Doyle! But I see your point. They'd be having Special Time, I guess. Ew! I wish I'd never even thought of that. Thanks a lot, Angel."

Angel shook his head. "There's nothing gross about two people being in love, Cordelia."

"Yeah, but it's Doyle."

"Just call again later, alright?"

Cordelia sighed. "Alright, but if we find a dead Doyle I get to say 'I told you so'."

"Whatever."

Cordelia went back to the phone, and returned a few minutes later. "Still no answer."

"I told you so. I'll be back in a little over an hour. If you still haven't reached him, I'll go over to his apartment, okay?"

Cordelia followed Angel to the sewer entrance. "I guess so." she said, closing it behind him.

The phone rang again, but Nadia didn't want to leave Doyle alone. He was still screaming, and he seemed to be unable to move, as if he was restrained by chains, or rope.

"Doyle, listen to me. It's not real. Whatever you think is happening to you, whatever it is that you see, it's all in your head."

"Please...help...me...Nad!" he managed. "Please...make...it...STOP!"

"Doyle, I - "

Suddenly Doyle stopped screaming, and he rolled off the side of the bed. Again he saw himself on fire, and felt the heat of the flames.

And then it was gone.

Doyle sat up slowly, trembling and sobbing. Nadia knelt beside him, and put her hand on his shoulder. "I'm so scared, Nad." he confessed.

She nodded, pulling him close to her. "Me, too."

Doyle pushed her away, as he was hit with another vision.

"Doyle - "

"Do you see?" boomed a voice.

A figure emerged from the shadows. She smiled at him, as her skin melted off.

She was a Dah Jee, and he was burning...

Doyle opened his eyes, taking deep, calming breaths.

"What did you see?" Nadia asked him.

Doyle looked up at her slowly. "I have to talk to Angel." he said, putting on his clothes.

"Why? What did you see?" Nadia asked him again, putting on her clothes. "Doyle, what was it?"

"We're in trouble." he finally answered.

"What do you mean?"

"They found us, and they took you away from me."

"That's not going to happen, Doyle."

"And that, Nad, is why we're going to talk to Angel." Doyle reached for the door knob.

"Angel can't help you." It wasn't Nadia's voice.

Doyle turned around slowly, knowing that there was no point in running.

Nadia's eyes began to glow maroon, and Doyle's apartment faded away.

"Welcome, Doyle. We've been expecting you." Kon-Chee stated, smiling.

Doyle ignored him. "Who are you really?"

"Who do you want me to be?" she grinned mockingly.

"No more games. Just tell me who you are."

Kon-Chee grabbed Doyle from behind, and pulled him back.

"You'll find out soon enough." Nadia replied.

"Tell me!" Doyle yelled.

Drak'Tar descended the stairs, then waited patiently for his turn. He remembered that night over a century ago as if it had just happened. Not the night that Doyle, Darren, and Nadia had escaped. The night Doyle had killed Drak'Tar's brother. The reason Doyle was to be burned alive the night he had escaped.

Kon-Chee turned Doyle around. Doyle's eyes widened, as he came face to face with Drak'Tar for the first time in a century.

Drak'Tar smiled, sensing Doyle's fear. "I have waited a long time for my revenge, Doyle. Too long."

Cordelia hit the redial button on the phone again. And again no one answered. Angel wouldn't be back for another forty-five minutes, she realized after glancing at the clock.

She hung up the phone, and stood. "Fine. I'll go over to Doyle's alone." she told herself. "It's not like I've got anything better to do, anyway." She grabbed her coat off the back of the chair. "And if they're having Special Time, Cordy, what then? I'll knock really loud first." she decided, then locked the door behind her.

* * *

"Doyle?!" Cordelia called from the hall. She had been pounding on the door for five minutes. "Doyle, I know you're home! Open up! It's me, Cordelia!" She waited for some kind of a response.

"Doyle, you're gonna make me lose my voice if you don't open this door!"

"What is all the racket about?" an elderly woman demanded through an open crack in the door across the hall from where Cordelia stood.

"My friend's ignoring me." she whined.

"I would, too. You don't have to be so possessive. The poor man. He's under a lot of stress, y'know. I made him cookies one time, to cheer him up."

"That's very sweet. Are you his land lady?"

"Yes."

"Do you have a spare key? It's very imporatant that I talk to him."

The woman sighed. "I suppose I could let you in, seeing as you're his girlfriend, and all." She crossed the hall, keys in hand. "It's one of these fifteen."

Cordelia forced a smile, and suppressed the need to tell this old hag that she wasn't Doyle's girlfriend. And didn't want to be.

"There you are, Dear." The woman opened the door for Cordelia, then returned to her own apartment.

Cordelia closed the door behind her. "Doyle?" she called. Not wanting to see what the two of them may be doing, she waited just inside the doorway.

The only answer to her call was the sound of water dripping in the kitchen sink.

"This is not good." Cordelia muttered, walking into the kitchen. She tried to see around the corner and into the bedroom without seeing too much of a potentially bad thing.

But she saw nothing. Doyle's apartment was empty. Both he and Nadia were gone.

"Alright, think Cordy, think. Where else might they go? Out for dinner? To a movie? Dinner and a movie?" Cordelia went into Doyle's bedroom. "Do you know, Room?" Cordelia shook her head. "Well, they're not here. And that doesn't mean that something bad happened. They just...went out somewhere. Doyle was pretty mad when they left, so they're probably in the last place we'd ever think to look." She locked the apartment door behind her. "I'd better find Angel."

Doyle opened his eyes, but saw nothing. It was pitch black, and freezing cold. He shifted his weight onto the other foot, and tried to ignore the growing ache in his arms. He could feel the metal digging into his wrists.

There was no sound that he could hear, and Doyle decided that the silence would be the thing that drove him crazy.

"Hello? Hey you, ugly demons, I thought you were going to torture me?!" Doyle taunted.

The door opened, and light flooded the room. Doyle squinted, as his eyes adjusted to the sudden brightness.

"You are eager to die, Doyle?" Nadia commented.

He didn't answer her.

"Patience is a virtue." Drak'Tar grinned, setting a torch in the holder on the wall.

Kon-Chee and Tsin-Lok carried a steaming cauldron between them. Another Dah Jee followed them carrying metal rods, its face hidden by the hood it wore.

"Oh, please. Hot metal rods are so unoriginal. Surely you've picked up some new techniques by now." Doyle scoffed.

"Now, Doyle, you know that we don't want you to bleed to death right off the bat." Nadia replied, a smile spreading across her lips.

"Nyuk sute." Drak'Tar hissed in Dah Jee.

Doyle recognized Drak'Tar's authority. "So, Drak'Tar's the big cheese, now, huh? It's a shame about Botrakken. I liked that demon. He was...wishy-washy. And, as I recall - " Drak'Tar shoved one of the glowing-red metal rods through Doyle's stomach. "He stuttered." Doyle barely managed to finish his sentence.

"Yes, he did." Nadia shrugged.

Doyle could feel the metal burning his skin from the inside, but he forced himself not to give them the satisfaction of a scream.

Drak'Tar stared into his eyes, as he lifted another rod. Instead of shoving it into Doyle, this time he held it against his underarm. Doyle's eyes watered, but he still would not allow himself to give the pain a voice.

Nadia picked up another rod, and waved it in front of his face. He pulled his head back everytime it came too close, his eyes fixed on its glowing tip.

Out of the corner of his eye, Doyle saw Kon-Chee go around behind him. Kon-Chee grabbed the end of the poker that had penetrated through his back, and pulled it the rest of the way through.

Doyle couldn't hold it in.

He screamed.

Angel pushed the cover up, and out of the way. He then pulled himself up through the manhole, and replaced the cover.

"You're late." Cordelia stated.

"Yeah, I know. I'm sorry. I thought I had a lead." he answered, standing up.

"And instead, those Dah Jee creeps got Doyle."

"What? How?"

"I called his place, there was no answer - still - so I went over there, and neither of them were there. And I've been trying to call him since I got back, and there's still no answer. Therefore, I told you so."

"No, we haven't found a dead Doyle yet." Angel stood thinking. "Oh God, Cordy. I don't even know where to start looking!"

"Well, what about that lead you thought you had?"

"I was just talking to another vampire - after I saved this girl. She was

really - "

"In danger." Cordelia finished his sentence. "So, before you staked him, he told you...what, exactly?"

"All he knew was that there was something evil in LA."

"It took you an hour to get him to tell you such a general statement that even I could have told you?"

"Well, he ran away a bunch of times."

"And, of course, you chased him. Okay, okay. So, what do we know about the Dah Jee? They kill demons. They torture demons. They have sharp teeth, and purple eyes."

"Maroon, actually." Angel corrected her, remembering what he'd read earlier. "They like the dark."

"They hide out in caves. They're vegetarians. They - "

"Cordy, that's gotta be it."

"What? That they're vegetarians? How can that save Doyle? Oh - I see! We switch their tofu with Kibbles 'n Bits, right?"

"No. They're in a dark cave. Where do we have dark caves?"

"Ooh! At the beach!"

"No, that's too obvious." Angel shook his head.

"Well, there's only one or two caves that are actually open to the public. They could be further in."

Angel looked doubtful as he nodded. "I'll check it out."

"I don't wanna stay here alone."

"Then go home for awhile."

"I want to go with you." Cordelia decided. "You left me alone for most of the afternoon and evening. You can't just ignore me. Now, I may not be in love with Doyle, but I do like him. He's my friend too, and I want to help you find him. Please?"

Angel nodded. "Alright."

"Good." Cordelia's face lit up with a broad smile. "I'll drive."

"Hey, you still living?" a raspy voice asked.

Doyle tried to force his eyes open, but only one of them would respond. "Who are you?"

"A friend." the voice answered carefully.

"Oh, a friend. Well, I've been surrounded by a few too many friends, lately, so I hope you'll take it personally if I tell you to stay the hell away from me."

"They beat you up pretty bad." The voice was becoming less raspy, and slightly more feminin.

"Yes, well, that's what they do."

She got the torch off the wall, and moved it closer to Doyle.

"You're freakin' out your friend." Doyle said, trying to free his wrists.

"I'm not going to hurt you, Doyle. I can help you."

"Then why are you coming at me with a torch?"

She put the torch in a holder on the wall. "Do you feel better now? I just wanted to be able to see what I was doing." She examined the spot where Kon-Chee had pulled the poker through his back.

Doyle tried to see over his shoulder. "What are you doing?"

"I'll be right back." she replied, taking the torch, and disappearing down a passageway, leaving Doyle alone again in the dark.

When she returned, he asked her, "So, who are you?"

"I told you, I'm a friend."

"What's your name?"

"I don't have a name." she broke open a vile, and sprinkled its contents into a bowl.

"You can't not have a name." Doyle said, trying to see what she was doing.

She looked up at him, but he could not make out the features of her face, as it was hidden by a hood. "The Dah Jee call me Jorlé."

"Jorlé?" Doyle knew he knew the english translation for that. "Slave."

"Yeah. Slave."

"I won't call you that."

She poured the liquid contents of a flask into the bowl, and stirred it around with her finger.

"Do I want to know what you're doing?"

"I don't know. Do you?"

Something in her voice made him smile. "Yeah, I guess I do. What are you doing?"

"Helping you." she answered, standing up. "This will sting." She ran her thumb around the edge of the bowl, then spread the mixture across a gash in his arm.

"That more than stings." Doyle stuttered.

"I know." she admitted.

Doyle watched his wound fizzle and dissolve. He looked from his arm to her and back to his arm again. "How did you do that?"

"I'm just trying to help you."

"Why?"

She looked up into his eyes, but he could not see her face. "I don't know why." She set down the bowl, smeared some of the goop on her fingers, then lifted Doyle's shirt. "Try to hold still."

"Wh-AHH!" Doyle screamed as she shoved her fingers into the wound. He tried not to squirm under the pain, but couldn't help it.

She took her fingers out. "I'm sorry." she whispered, then checked to make sure the wound was completely healed.

"Are you helping me, or just prolonging my life?" Doyle asked between deep breaths.

"Both." she answered flatly. She heard voices down the tunnel to her right. "I have to go."

"What?"

"They're coming to check on you. I can't be found here."

"S - so you're just gonna leave me here?"

"You'll be alright." she replied, picking up the bowl.

"How can you be sure?"

She spat into the bowl, then mixed it around with her fingers. "Don't worry." she said, pressing her finger to his forehead three times, leaving three dots in a triangular formation.

"What's that supposed to do?"

"It will protect you."

"So, that's some multipurpose guck you've got there." Doyle said, trying to be sarcastic.

"Something like that." she answered. She knew he was scared.

Doyle could have sworn she was smiling.

The voices were getting louder. She looked behind her, saw no one yet, grabbed the torch off the wall, then headed down the tunnel she had disappeared down earlier.

Doyle waited silently for the approaching Dah Jee, trying to imagine the looks on their faces when they saw that they'd have to start over again.

"Angel, what are we doing here?" Cordelia asked.

"This is where demons go if they're wounded or just need a place to stay. Maybe one of them will know something." he answered, holding the door open for her.

* * *

"Or not." Angel sighed, sitting down on the curb.

"So we'll try someplace else." Cordelia sat down beside him.

"I don't know of anywhere else, Cordy. There aren't - "

Cordelia stood up suddenly and shouted, "HEY!"

"Hey what, Cordy?" Angel stood up, too.

"I saw someone over there. Watching us." she pointed.

"I don't see anyone."

"Come on, Angel." Cordelia broke into a run.

"What?" He chased after her.

She turned a corner and stopped. "Hey, wait!" she yelled.

The figure glanced at them, then turned to the brick wall beside her. She traced a rectangle with her finger, and immediately the wall disappeared, revealing a passage. She went through the doorway.

A scream pierced the silence.

"Doyle!" Cordelia exclaimed, running toward the opening.

"Cordy, wait!" Angel called after her. "It could be a trap."

"It's not a trap." Cordelia told him, then followed the figure into the darkness through the doorway.

Angel ran after her, but stopped just outside. "Cordy!"

"Will you hurry up?"

Angel sighed. "Well, here goes nothing." He descended the stairs. "Cordy?" he called into the darkness.

"I'm right here." she whispered from somewhere to his left.

"Keep your voices down, or they'll come down here to investigate." the voice was in front of him.

"Who are you?" Angel asked.

"Duh - "

She cut Cordelia off. "Doyle's down there." She pointed out one of many passages.

"Why are you helping us?"

"I'm not helping you. I'm helping him. Now go, before it's too late."

Kon-Chee held the torch, patiently waiting. To him, this was the best part of torturing someone. The part when they got to kill him.

"Who has seen you?" Nadia demanded again.

"No one." Doyle lied.

"What did she look like?"

"I'm not telling you anything."

"That's enough!" Drak'Tar exclaimed suddenly. "He will take her identity with him to his grave. We know who it was, anyway."

"Of course." Nadia bowed slightly, allowing Drak'Tar to pass.

"So, Doyle, you want to know who Nadia really is? I'll show you." He took the torch off the wall, and held it close to her face.

Doyle remained silent, and she smiled at him. Her skin began to melt off.

"Oh, God." Doyle whispered, as he realized that his vision was beginning to come true.

Drak'tar was laughing as Kon-Chee held his torch to Doyle's feet and the wood he had piled there.

"Oh, NO! No! Please, don't do this! Please! Hey! Help me! Help!" Doyle watched the flames burn higher. He pulled on the chains, but he knew he could never get free.

"At last, I have my revenge." Drak'Tar hissed.

"Sorry to disappoint you." Angel sneered, punching Drak'Tar in the face.

"Uh, Angel, I appreciate that you came to rescue me, and all, but do you think you could get some water now and fight later?" Doyle pleaded, glancing from the flames that were creeping up his legs to his friend.

"Doyle!" Cordelia exclaimed.

"Yes, Doyle. And Doyle needs water. Now. Right now!" he yelled. "Cordy, please!"

Kon-Chee moved in front of Doyle, ready to attack anyone who came too close with the torch.

"Angel!" Doyle yelled, panick-stricken. "You can't rescue me if I burn up!"

Angel looked up at Doyle from where he sat on Drak'Tar's chest. Drak'Tar used that moment of distraction to his advantage. He used his magic to create a stake.

Cordelia tried to warn Angel, but she was too late.

Drak'Tar shoved the stake into Angel.

"You missed." Angel informed him, before knocking him unconscious. He stood up, and pulled out the stake.

Kon-Chee charged at him with the torch and Angel easily knocked him aside, as he strode over to Doyle. He stared incredulously at the skin that was supposed to be charred.

"What? Why are you just staring at me? Fire, Angel! Fire hot! Fire bad! Do something! Get water!" Doyle yelled at him.

She pushed Angel aside, and pushed the flames down with her hand.

"How did you do that? Why didn't you do that sooner?" Doyle demanded.

"Calm down. I said I could protect you." she replied.

"I could feel the heat. I was on fire."

"You're fine. Can we go?" Cordelia snapped.

"Yes," Angel answered. "We just need to get Doyle out of these chains."

She grabbed the chains, and they withered and turned to dust.

"Excellent work. Now let's go." Cordelia insisted.

"Yes, please ." Doyle agreed, rubbing his wrist. "I really - " He dropped to his knees.

"What's happening ?" Cordelia asked.

"He's having a vision." Angel responded.

"Damn those things are inconvenient." Cordelia shook her head.

"It's not that kind of vision." she said.

"What is it then?"

"Tsin-Lok must be doing it. He was supposed to give Doyle some kind of vision just before he died."

"He's a little late. Doyle would have been dead awhile ago." Cordelia stated.

Doyle looked up at her. "No!" he exclaimed.

"Get him up and get out of here." she told Angel, as she walked briskly over to the axe that hung on the wall.

"What are you going to do?" he asked her, helping Doyle to his feet.

"Beheading is the only way to kill these demons."

"But Doyle's - "

"Not him. Them." she interrupted Cordelia, pointing to Kon-Chee.

"Oh, right."

"Hurry. You won't have much time once Tsin-Lok comes here to investigate. He's the priest, and controls most of the power, other than Drak'Tar." she explained, as she brought the blade down on Kon-Chee's neck.

"You saved my life. We're not leaving you here." Doyle told her.

"Yeah, you have to come with us, Nadia." Cordelia agreed. "You and Doyle deserve to live happily ever after, even if I am jealous."

"You're jealous? Wait - what?" Doyle looked up at her.

She too had a puzzled look on her face, though it was hard to make out with the dim light from one torch, and the hood she wore.

Drak'Tar grabbed her from behind, and her hood fell back. The axe fell to the floor, and he used his powers to send it flying across the room.

Doyle's eyes went wide in surprise. "Oh my God."

"What?" Cordelia asked. "Who did you think it was?"

"Nadia?" he said, ignoring Cordelia.

"She doesn't know that name, Doyle. She doesn't know you . She hasn't for one hundred years. Ever since you left her behind. With us."

Doyle shook his head. "No. This is another trick."

"Good." Drak'Tar created a dagger in his hand. "Then she can die."

"No! Let her go. It's me you want. It's me you've wanted for a century. Let's end this. Now."

Drak'Tar threw Nadia to the floor. "As you wish." The dagger began to glow, and change into a sphere.

"What are you doing, Doyle?" Angel demanded.

Nadia got up slowly. "Don't do this." she told him, searching with her eyes for the axe. Drak'Tar turned.

"NO!" Doyle exclaimed. He allowed himself to change into his demon form, and charged at Drak'Tar.

Drak'Tar's aim was knocked off target, and, as a result, the ball of pure energy hit the wall beside Nadia, who had tried to duck out of its way.

Drak'Tar growled angrily, broke Doyle's arm, then kicked him to the floor. He then started walking toward Nadia, his face reflecting pure hatred. He stared into her eyes, boring into her soul.

But she did not meet his angry glare.

"What's going - Drak'Tar!" Tsin-Lok entered the room, and tried to warn his master.

Drak'Tar turned his head slightly, and saw too late the axe blade that tore through his neck.

"Oh my God." Angel gasped. "Cordy, I can't believe you just did that."

"I know, me neither. Oh my God!" She dropped the axe quickly.

"You will all pay for this!" Tsin-Lok yelled at them, then disappeared.

"Where did he go?" Angel demanded quickly.

Nadia shook her head. "Away." She knelt beside Doyle. "Why did you do that?"

Doyle looked up into her eyes. "He was telling the truth, wasn't he? You don't remember me?"

Nadia shook her head slowly, and Doyle popped his shoulder back into place. He shook off his demon-face.

Angel helped him to his feet. "Are you alright?"

"Did you see what I did with the axe?" Cordelia asked him.

"Yes, and yes." he nodded. He offered Nadia his hand, then helped her up. "Can we go home now?" Doyle whined.

* * *

"I remember pieces, but none of them fit together. I only helped you because I thought you could help me. There was...something. I knew I could trust you, but I didn't know how I knew it." Nadia explained.

"I loved you." Doyle said quietly.

Nadia smiled. "I believe that. But I don't remember anything we did together. I don't have a complete picture. It's all...choppy."

"I can help you. I remember everything." he shifted his gaze to the floor. "Everything." he repeated, sadness in his voice.

She squeezed his hand. "I'm sure you had no other choice, Doyle."

"Maybe I did."

"It doesn't matter. I don't remember it, so I can't argue with you. And I know how much you want to help me, but those would be your memories in my head, not my own. I have to find the key to unlocking everything that's in my head myself. The best way to do that is to leave here for awhile. Travel around. I know I must be Irish, so I'll start there."

"What? You want to go back home?"

Nadia nodded. "As soon as I can. Drak'Tar's spell is broken now that he's dead. I have to find the trigger for my memory. I promise I'll come back -"

"When? In another hundred years? No, Nad, you always wanted out of Ireland. Always. That's why we went to England, where we -"

"Doyle, don't, please. This is important for me to do. It's better for both of us. Me not remembering all the things that you do just makes being together more frustrating. Especially for you."

"I lost you once, Nad. And when I thought I'd found you, it turned out that it wasn't you at all. And I lost you twice. I can't lose you again. Please. We can go together."

"No. You're needed here. And I have to do this alone." Nadia stood up. "I promise I'll come back as soon as I can." She lifted his chin, and forced a smile that brought tears to his eyes. "I promise."

Doyle stood up, too, and pulled her close to him. "I love you, Nad. You have to remember that."

"I hope to." she whispered.

He kissed her on the cheek, and followed her to the door.

He watched her go in silence.

"She'll be back, don't worry." Angel tried to reassure him.

"Doyle nodded. "I know. It just...hurts, y'know?"

Angel smiled. "Oh yeah, I know." He put his arm around Doyle's shoulders. "Come on, I'll buy you some sort of alcoholic beverage."

"Angel, you're a saint."

THE END