BAD ANGEL

Part 1

Over the next few weeks, Angel spent endless hours collecting any information he could find on Hank’s family and especially anything on Buffy. Using his connections, he managed to glean quite a lot about the young woman. From his sources, he learnt that she had just graduated from Vassar College where she studied Political Science and she was currently working at Amnesty International. She seemed to be following in her mother’s footsteps in that she did a lot of volunteer work in her free time. By all accounts, she would be the ideal First Daughter. And she was the apple of Hank’s eye. Angel also learned that although she did have a few boyfriends in the past, none were ever very serious. He smiled at this. The more virginal she was, the better. She was currently single and lived alone. He couldn’t have picked a better target.

Once his preliminary research was complete, Angel occasionally drove into the city and watched her. Ordinarily, he’d have his men scope out the situation for him but this was deeply personal and he wanted to handle it himself. He’d wait a short distance outside of her apartment building and watch her come and go. Sometimes, he’d follow her to work and watch her walk down the street for lunch with her friends. He knew he was taking the risk of being seen but once he saw her he couldn’t stay away. To maintain his cover, he limited his visits to only once or twice a week and he always drove a different vehicle. He was a millionaire several times over so renting a different car every few days was not an issue.
As Angel sat and watched her, he couldn’t help but picture the many ways he would take her. He imagined himself buried deep within her, punishing her for Hank’s transgression as he thrust into her small body. He could almost hear her begging him for mercy that would never come. His thirst for revenge only fueled his already burning desire. Soon, he wanted not only to simply punish Hank through her but he also wanted her to want him despite herself. He wanted her to burn for him even as he destroyed her. He wanted to possess her body and soul. And when he was done, her own desire for him would finish consuming her. Then, his vengeance would be complete. But first, he had to control her. And he knew exactly how to accomplish that. As he continued watching her, his fantasies became more and more twisted and his need more urgent. His fevered dreams drove him to Cordelia’s bed for release. But as his obsession deepened, even Cordelia and her many talents could no longer sate him. He had to have Buffy. And so, Angelus set his plan in motion. Within a few days Buffy would be his.

It was Thursday evening. Buffy had just gotten home from work and was preparing to eat her Chinese take out when the phone rang. It was Joyce. Again. She rolled her eyes when she saw the number displayed on her Caller ID. She had just talked to her mother that afternoon about the upcoming weekend. Apparently, her father had decided whether he was running for the presidency or not and this weekend the family was coming together to discuss it. But obviously, Hank was going for it otherwise they would have just told her over the phone since then it would have been a non-issue that didn’t call for special family bonding time. So, this weekend wasn’t about discussing whether he’d run but rather was really about preparing them for the media onslaught that was sure to occur after his official announcement. And so, here was Joyce, calling her for the third time that day. Buffy sighed.
“Hi Mom,” She tried to keep her annoyance out of her voice.
“Buffy dear, I’m so sorry to bother you again, I know you’re busy but I was wondering if you’d mind coming to the house a bit earlier than we first discussed….” Joyce knew her daughter was not an early riser so Buffy’s whining voice interrupting her was fully expected.
“Mom!” She was already peeved that she was losing her entire weekend but now her mother wanted to cut into her sleep too, “we’re already meeting at noon, which means I have to leave here by ten the latest, why do we need to meet earlier than that?”
“Darling, I know you like to sleep in but I’d like to spend some time with you and Dawn before your father comes down. He has a meeting early Saturday morning so I thought that we could do something while he’s gone.” Joyce tried to infuse as much enthusiasm and maternal longing into her voice as possible. “Or perhaps you can come down on Friday night instead and stay in your old room?” She missed Buffy and ever since she moved into her own place, it was more and more difficult to get her to come out to the family home.
“Mom, I already told you. We’re really busy at work right now and I have a deadline to meet. I’ve been working late every night for the past week and I was planning to work on Saturday to finish a few things. But now, I’m working even later on Friday instead so I can keep my Saturday and Sunday free to hang with you guys. And I’m not going to work late and then drive for two hours. I’ll be too tired.” Her exasperation was evident.
“You’re right, you’re right. I’m sorry. I forgot about that. I wouldn’t want you on the road that late.” Joyce was disappointed but she’d rather Buffy be rested and come at noon on Saturday than have her exhausted and driving late Friday night.
Sensing her mother’s feelings, Buffy reconsidered, “Something like what?”
“Pardon me?” Joyce wasn’t sure to what she was referring.
“You said you wanted to do something with me and Dawn, something like what?” Buffy was hesitant. Sometimes Joyce had very embarrassing bonding ideas, well, embarrassing for her daughters anyway.
Joyce perked up. “I just thought maybe we could go by the beach for a while. I know the season is over but at least the crowds won’t be there. It should be quiet and peaceful. The forecast sounds positively delightful and we could have an early picnic. Say, brunch on the beach or something?” A tinge of her earlier zeal slipping in.
Buffy took a deep breath. “Fine Mom, I’ll leave here at eight ok so I can get to the house around ten. Does that work?”
“Tell you what honey, leave at nine. That way at least you’ll get a bit more sleep. Besides, I still have to drag Dawn out of bed and she’s no better than you.” Joyce was happy Buffy caved in but she felt bad using a guilt trip on her. Their little compromise made her feel better.
“Well that’s true. By the way, what time Friday is she coming down?” Although Buffy wasn’t thrilled about the reasons behind this weekend, she was eager to see Dawn again. She hadn’t seen her sister in weeks. Dawn attended the same private boarding school that she had but the place was three hours away from her parents’ house. And Buffy was two hours in the opposite direction. Needless to say, she rarely made the five-hour trip.
“Uh, we’re sending the car for her for three so she should be here around six.” Joyce was also looking forward to seeing her baby.
“Great, well, when she gets in, have her call my cell phone. I’ll still be at work but I’ll try to take a break so we can chat for a bit. Ok?” She always looked forward to her conversations with Dawn.
“Sure, I’ll have her do just that. Well, I’ll see you on Saturday, around eleven?” Joyce couldn’t hide her excitement.
“Yeah, eleven it is.” She was resigned that she’d get no rest this weekend.
“Take care and love you lots.” Buffy could practically see the smile on Joyce’s face.
“Love you too, Mom.” Despite her annoyance Buffy smiled too.

And with that they hung up.
Joyce continued going about finalizing plans for the weekend.
Buffy sat on her couch and watched some television as she ate her dinner.

Neither could imagine that their world was about to take a horrific turn.

Hours later Buffy suddenly woke. She was still on her couch and fully dressed. The glare from the TV was harsh against her eyes. She must have fallen asleep shortly after the news ended. Slowly she stretched as she tried to work out the kinks from the terrible position she was sleeping in. Standing, she thought she heard a noise. She froze. Her sleep-clogged mind wasn’t sure if she’d imagined it or not. And if she did hear something, she couldn’t tell if she’d made the noise herself as she was getting up. Standing as still as possible for several seconds, she tried to discern what she heard. When nothing happened, she cautiously moved around the room as her eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness. All the lights were off but she couldn’t recall if she’d turned them off herself or not. As the seconds stretched out, she became more and more agitated. Her instincts were screaming and alarms were sounding in her head. Something was wrong. She decided to call the police.
Just as she reached out for the phone on the end table, she was barreled over and tackled to the floor by a dark, masked figure. As she and her attacker fell, they knocked over the end table, sending the cordless phone skidding across the polished hardwood floor. Buffy fell onto her stomach, squirming to get from under her attacker. She managed to scream just before a hand covered her mouth. She was then turned onto her back. She fought. Her legs kicked out and she pushed with all her might. Even as her arms were held down she managed to use her feet to pry her assailant off of her. She then kicked him in the groin and scrambled away to get the phone.
“Get her!” was all she heard before a second dark figure kicked the phone further out of her reach.
She turned and ran for her purse on the dining table. She needed her cell phone. But they anticipated her move and as she ran for it the second figure tripped her up, sending her crashing to the floor a second time. She got up again and grabbed a golf club out of her nearby golf bag. She swung it with all her might, making contact with his shoulder and sending him to the floor. There he lunged at her and wrenched the club from her grasp. She kicked him in the ribs and then charged to her handbag again. However, her first attacker grabbed her arm and used her momentum to swing her around as he picked her up, flipped her over and body slammed her onto the top of the coffee table. The force of the impact splintered two of the wooden table legs and sent the entire thing toppling to the floor with Buffy on it. Incredible pain surged through her body. Still she tried to crawl away. Suddenly he was on her as she struggled to escape, her screams getting louder and louder.
“Shut her up!”
She never saw the blow coming. The punch to her gut completely knocked the wind out of her. She doubled over. She could barely breathe, let alone scream. As she gasped for air, they lifted her. She tried to fight back but she could hardly move. They carried her into her bedroom and put her on the bed. She was terrified of what they might do to her but all she could concentrate on was trying to breathe. They turned the light on and the bigger of the two began touching her. She tensed and let out a little whimper in protest. He spoke.
“Keep still. I need to see how hurt you are.”
Buffy’s frantic mind couldn’t comprehend why he’d be concerned over whether she was hurt when he was the one who hurt her. But she kept still, it hurt too much to move.
The man continued to examine her. “Do you have a First Aid kit?”
Buffy’s puzzled expression made him repeat the question. She managed to gasp out that it was in the bathroom. The other man retrieved the kit and soon Buffy’s injuries were bandaged up. They kept their masks on the entire time. Despite her pain, she wasn’t seriously hurt. As they bandaged her, she glanced over at the clock on the nightstand. It was just after 2 am on Friday morning.
“She’s not badly hurt but he’s not going to be happy about this.” Buffy’s attacker and would-be nurse commented to his nervously pacing partner who was absently rubbing his shoulder.
“Who?” Buffy’s soft question drew their attention. Noticing that her breathing had almost returned to normal they decided it was time to leave before they had to hurt her more. Ignoring her question, the man next to her pulled out a bottle and soaked a cloth with a pungent liquid. Buffy recognized the smell and uttered a frantic “No!” just as the chloroform soaked towel was placed over her nose and mouth. She put up as much resistance as she could but after struggling for a few brief moments, she surrendered to the darkness. A short while later, the men wrapped her in a blanket and carried Buffy’s limp body out of her building, taking the rear exit to avoid the doorman. Soon they were on their way to where Angelus awaited them.


Later that morning around 7:30am, Joyce called Buffy’s apartment. She usually called her in the morning as a wake up call. She got Buffy’s voicemail. Assuming Buffy was in the shower, she waited twenty minutes and tried again. Still nothing. She then tried her cell phone and again, got her voicemail. Joyce thought it was odd but figured that Buffy probably went in extra early to get a jump on the day, as she did on occasion, and just hadn’t turned on her cell phone yet. Although she knew Buffy didn’t tell her everything, Joyce thought it strange that she didn’t mention going in to work early the night before. Perhaps it was something she decided to do after they talked. So, being the dutiful mother, she tried Buffy’s work number. Again nothing. Joyce frowned. Maybe Buffy was still in her car and on her way to work. Despite her reasoning, an uncertain feeling began to take hold of her. Something just didn’t seem right. Shaking the nagging feeling off, Joyce went about preparing for her day. She’d try Buffy at work later on.


Buffy slowly woke. Her entire body ached from the battering it took hours before. Her muscles vehemently protested any movement she tried to make. Her head was pounding. She slowly looked around and took in her surroundings. She was in a bedroom. There were two doors in the room and a single small window. One door she thought might lead to a bathroom and the other most likely to freedom. On a nearby table were a small TV, a bowl of fruit and a container of water and two glasses. There were also two chairs. Just behind it, in one of the corners was a chest of drawers. Light streamed into the room through the small window high along one of the walls. The security bars and its height off the floor made clear that the window was not a viable escape route. Buffy shifted as best she could to see what else was in the room but the effort totally drained her and soon, she fell back asleep.
Angel watched her sleep on the monitors. He was furious that she was hurt during the abduction. Graham and Forrest explained that she woke up just as they got into her apartment and they were sure she was about to call the police. They had to act quickly and she fought back. Angel appreciated that they patched her up but he was still very angry. Her flawless skin was now bruised and he could tell she was in some pain. He would find a way to make them pay for injuring her. Only he was allowed to hurt her.


By midday Joyce was worried. She had tried all of Buffy’s numbers several times but she couldn’t reach her. She called the main number where she worked and managed to reach Buffy’s supervisor, Robin Wood. He too was worried. It was very unlike Buffy to be late for work, let alone to not show up at all, especially without calling. He had also tried calling her apartment and her cell phone, also with no response. Joyce was now frantic. She tried calling Hank but he was in a meeting so she left a message for him to call her immediately on her cell phone. Then she tried the police. However, given that Buffy was an adult they wouldn’t consider her a missing person just yet. She had to be missing for at least 48 hours before they could really do anything. Joyce was beside herself. Anything could have happened to her child. The next 48 hours were crucial. What was she to do? What if Buffy was attacked? What if she was hurt in the apartment and needed medical help but couldn’t reach the phone? Once the endless possibilities started coming to her, Joyce’s mind ran with it and soon every mother’s nightmare imaginable became real. She looked at the time; it was almost 1pm. She had wanted to be there when Dawn got home but she had to look for Buffy. So she asked the housekeeper to have Dawn call her on her cell phone as soon as she got home. And without another thought, she jumped in her car and headed to Buffy’s apartment. She couldn’t lose another minute.

Joyce got to Buffy’s place in record time. As she parked she saw Buffy’s car in the lot. She raced into the building. Using her spare key she threw the door open and ran inside. She abruptly paused and gasped, her hands flying to her mouth. The destruction in Buffy’s apartment stunned her. An end table was overturned and the phone was across the room on the floor. The coffee table that she and Buffy bought together was completely destroyed and a warped golf club lay in the middle of the floor. She frantically ran through the apartment desperately shouting Buffy’s name, tears running down her cheeks. With each step her mind braced to find her daughter’s body. When her search led her back to the living room, she saw Buffy’s handbag on the dining table. She dug through the purse and pulled out the cell phone. Buffy never went anywhere without it. Then she saw Buffy’s keys. Clutching the keys to her chest, Joyce collapsed in a heap on the floor. She pulled out her own cell phone and tried to dial the police but her hand was shaking so violently she could hardly hold the phone. In frustration, she pulled herself up and ran out of the apartment. She began banging on the neighbor’s doors, screaming for help. Eventually, the young woman from a few doors down came out to see what the commotion was about. She approached the hysterical Joyce and tried to soothe the woman. As Tara came closer, she recognized the distraught lady. It was Buffy’s mom.
“Mrs. Summers?” Tara asked as gently as possible. She didn’t want to startle her.
The familiar voice got Joyce’s attention. After a few moments, she managed to compose herself enough to speak. She showed Tara the apartment and told her of her inability to reach Buffy. As she related the story, she broke down again, huge sobs wracking her body. Tara borrowed Joyce’s phone and called the police herself. Then, she gathered Joyce up and took her to her own apartment, locking Buffy’s behind them. As they waited for the police, Tara made some tea and tried to get Joyce to calm. During their wait, Hank finally called. Seeing Joyce was too distraught to talk, Tara took the phone and explained to him what was happening. Moments later, he was on his way.
When the police arrived, they had Joyce recall everything from the last time she spoke to Buffy. As they searched the apartment, other signs of a struggle became apparent. They also went through her car but after an initial search, focused their investigation on the apartment. They seized the security camera tapes to take down to the precinct for viewing. Hank arrived just as the police sectioned off Buffy’s apartment with yellow tape, declaring it a crime scene. Upon seeing him, Joyce immediately ran into his arms and broke down. He sat with her for a long time trying to soothe her as she told him everything she could remember. The detectives on the scene also shared what they had discovered with the senator. Detectives Riley Finn and his partner Parker Abrams were handling the case. Detective Finn had voted for Hank in the last election. Senator Summers was a man he greatly admired and he was determined to help him find his daughter. The Summers’ case was now their top priority. Once the evidence was collected and the apartment was secured, the officers moved the investigation to the precinct. Hank and Joyce went with them.


The black car pulled up along the sidewalk outside the girls’ dormitory. Dawn quickly approached with her overnight bag, her friend Janice beside her. The girls talked briefly before Dawn got into the back. As the car drove off, she continued waving goodbye to her friend until she was no longer in sight. Then, she turned and happily chirped a greeting to Mr. Flutie, the chauffeur. Bob Flutie was a middle-aged man who had been driving for Mr. Summers for ten years now and he had come to feel like part of the family. He smiled back at Dawn and the two chatted briefly as the car made its way down the highway. A huge, black SUV followed a few cars back. When the car exited the highway and was driving along a vacant stretch of road, the SUV sped up and slammed into the back. At first it just seemed like a regular fender bender and Bob pulled over to the side to check out the damage and exchange information. He knew Hank would be upset but it wasn’t his fault.
When he exited the car, he was suddenly pulled to the side and pushed to the ground. There, he was set upon by two, very large men. They rained blows down upon him, punching and kicking him. He tried desperately to defend himself but he was no match for them. Soon he was coughing up blood as their assault continued. Dawn was in the car screaming and crying. She’d already called the police on her cell phone but was too afraid to come out. She had locked all of the doors. Once Mr. Flutie was incapacitated, they smashed in the car windows with crowbars and pulled open the doors. Within seconds, a struggling Dawn was dragged out of the car and thrown into the back of the SUV.
When the police arrived minutes later, all they found was an unconscious man lying outside the car. As they waited for an ambulance, Bob regained consciousness. He kept asking about Dawn. But in the car all they found was a backpack, an overnight bag and a cell phone. There was no sign of Dawn.


At the police precinct, the detectives, Hank and Joyce watched the security tapes. After a few hours of viewing they saw two men carrying something out of Buffy’s apartment. The camera angle however only allowed the perpetrators to be seen from the back and the side. It was clear, however, that they were carrying Buffy out of the apartment. Although they couldn’t be sure, from the way they were carrying her it appeared that she was at least alive, if unconscious, when they took her. She was obviously taken against her will.
Just then Joyce’s cell phone went off but she was in no state to talk to anyone. Hank answered it instead. It was a police officer. Hank tensed. He dreaded that this was some officer telling him that they’d found Buffy’s body.
“Is this about Buffy?” His voice was filled with worry.
“Uh, no sir, this is about Dawn and your chauffeur, Mr. Flutie.” The officer was a bit puzzled by Hank’s outburst.
If it were possible, Hank tensed even further. “What about Dawn?” His voice broke with the tension, drawing the attention of everyone in the room. The officer filled him in on everything that Mr. Flutie was able to recall of the attack. From Hank’s responses, Joyce knew something terrible had happened to her baby. She began shaking. When Hank disconnected all eyes were on him.
He lowered his head and simply said, “Dawn was taken as well.”
Joyce lost it.
Hank buried his face in his hands as the officers all rushed to assist his wife. Clearly Joyce would need to be sedated. While they were taking care of Joyce, Detective Finn pulled Hank aside.
“Sir, I just want you to know that you have my deepest sympathy. I can’t imagine what you must be going through.” Finn hated sounding trite but his heart went out to the man.
“Uh, thank you.” Hank wasn’t sure why the detective was telling him this right then. Surely this could wait.
Finn decided to be direct. ”Look, the authorities will do everything they can and we will investigate both kidnappings and of course the feds have been called in but I have to tell you, we are limited in some ways. I think it might be best if you considered getting extra help.” Finn already knew this case was going to be tough.
“Extra help?” Hank was puzzled as to his meaning.
“A private detective, sir.”
“Do you really think that’s necessary?” Hank was surprised that he was hearing this.
“Sir, I’ve worked this type of thing for a while now and I’ve seen a few cases like this. Your daughters were not random victims, they were targeted and I think getting extra help will assist in finding out why. Given your profession, this could be politically motivated. If we find out why, we’ll probably find out whom. And I’m sure that will lead us to your daughters.” Finn really hoped that they were not too late to save the girls. Things like this often got messy.
”Well, uh, where would I find one?” Hank was willing to do anything to get Buffy and Dawn back.
“I can help you there. I know of a firm that specializes in sensitive cases like these.” He then pulled out his cell phone and dialed the number for Giles & Co, Private Eye.


A/N Just to address an issue that one reviewer brought up. The feds are involved in this and the media also becomes a problem. But that's coming in the next few chapters. In this story, the police, the feds and Giles work together to find Buffy and Dawn.