Part 6
Angel finally felt like life was good again. He hadn’t even been disappointed when he woke up alone. He may have been a little disappointed. The feeling disappeared the moment Cordelia smiled at him and said good morning as he entered the lobby. It was shaping up to be a pretty great day.
“That’s it! What the hell is going on with the two of you? Yesterday you weren’t speaking and before that there was only insults from you and begging from you. I cannot take the not knowing anymore! Why are you both behaving so chipper today?”
“Geez Wes. You’re the one who asked me to be nicer.”
“That’s very true but… Are you under some kind of spell? Angel, what did you do?”
“I didn’t do anything. She forgave me all on her own.”
“Woah. Where did you get the idea that I forgave you? I did no such thing.”
“But last night, we.. and you..”
“Y’all did what last night?” Gunn stood up with a menacing expression on his face. He crossed his arms and glared at the confused vampire.
“We.. You mean you haven’t forgiven me?”
“Why should I? Have you given me a reason to?”
“Then…”
“Angel, we declared a truce, without actually you know saying it aloud.”
“A truce?”
“Yes. Being angry at you was too time consuming.”
Hope filled his eyes. “So you’re not angry with me anymore?”
“Well… Forgiveness will take time. You need to show all of us you intend to stick by us no matter what, that you won’t run off on some stupid beigey madness again. You could say I figured out that being angry wasn’t helping the situation.”
Angel wasn’t entirely sure he understood but he was afraid to push her. “Uh huh. Are we friends?”
“Umm I’m gonna go with yes. I still don’t know if I can trust you but I’ve decided to give you the chance to earn it.”
“I can handle that. I won’t let you down again.”
“That’s all well and good but we still seem to be missing..”
“The what in the hell happened last night?”
“Yes. Thank you. You took the words right out of my mouth.” Wesley crossed his arms and stood next to Gunn.
“The ice kinda broke when Angel hit me last night.” Cordelia bit her cheek to keep from laughing.
“WHAT?” Wesley handed Gunn a stake.
“She hit me first.” Angel was too busy glaring at Cordelia to notice the danger.
“So? I never gave you permission to defend yourself. You’re the five year old that resorted to tickling.”
“You know what they say about people in glass houses.”
“They shouldn’t live next to a brick factory?”
“No they shouldn’t bite people.”
Cordelia snorted out a laugh. “That so didn’t any make sense. You’re such a dumbass and you totally deserved that bite. You shouldn’t have stolen my pillow.”
“I didn’t steal it. I confiscated your weapon.”
“Pfft. Like the big bad vampire got hurt because little ole me hit him with a pillow.”
“You swing a pretty mean pillow.”
“You’re such a baby.” She rolled her eyes. “It was still no reason to hit me back.”
“A pillow fight isn’t meant to be one-sided.”
“Like you would know, when were you ever in a pillow fight before?” She doubled over in laughter. “Oh my god…” She struggled for a breath. “I just got a mental image of you, Drusilla and Spike having pillow fights in the mansion.” She wiped a tear away. “That was a disturbing image.”
Gunn and Wesley just watched the scene unfold. Neither knew what to make of the banter but both men lowered their stakes.
“Am I to assume there is no need to stake Angel?”
“What? For hitting me with a pillow? That’s a little extreme, don’t you think?”
“Cordelia, you.. You did that on purpose.”
“Loosen up, Wes. You’ll get gray hairs.”
“And they will have your name written all over them.” Wesley tried to look severe but he couldn’t maintain the façade. “I am quite glad that you declared a truce.”
She shrugged. “It seemed like the thing to do.” Her eyes light up when a delivery man walked in with flowers. “Oh my god! Brian is so wonderful.” She practically skipped to the doorway and gathered the bouquet. “They’re so beautiful.” She ripped open the card.
Gunn walked over to the delivery man and signed for the flowers since Cordelia seemed too engrossed in the card.
Cordelia,
I look forward to our Saturday in the park.
Brian
“Brian is so sweet. I have to put these in water.”
Wesley noticed the dark cloud descending over Angel’s expression. He waited until Cordelia left in search of a vase to speak. “You are very fortunate, Angel. Cordelia has decided to give you a second chance. I would hate to see you mess that up in your own unique way.”
“…”
“Being supportive of her tentative relationship is what any good friend would do.”
“…”
“Brian seemed nice and Cordelia appears to like him. I think he might be good for her. She could use a stable young man in her life. She needs our encouragement.”
“…”
“It isn’t right for someone her age to give up on love.”
“…”
“You want me to poke him to see if he’s still alive or undead or whatever.”
“I have to go see a guy about a thing.” Angel grabbed his coat.
Gunn watched the tense vampire leave through the basement. “Did you find anything yet?”
“No. Nothing conclusive.”
“You don’t think he went after the accountant, do you?”
Wesley shook his head. “He doesn’t know where he works. I never showed him the file.”
“Good thinking. You should probably have that talk with him.”
“You mean because the one I was trying to have was going so well?”
“I don’t want him upsetting Cordy. She looked happy.”
Wesley smiled. “She really did, didn’t she?”
“Didn’t she what?”
“Cordelia, I didn’t see you there.”
“Hence the talking about me.”
“We were only remarking on how happy you looked.”
“I am pretty happy. Where’s Angel?”
“He had an errand to run.”
“In the middle of the day?”
“He took the sewers. I’m very proud of how you’re dealing with the situation with Angel. I know it can’t be easy for you.”
“I think that’s why I was so hesitant about liking Brian. Being mad at Angel was taking all of my energy. I couldn’t concentrate on Brian because thoughts of Angel kept invading my brain. I know I have every reason to be mad at him but his stupid puppy face kept making me feel like I was being an unreasonable bitch. Once I decided to let go of the anger and give him a chance, I felt like this huge weight was lifted off my shoulders. I mean I’m still a little scared. No one has ever hurt me like Angel but trying to hate him feels like work now that he’s back. I don’t know why I bothered. It didn’t work with Xander. The dork had to go and buy my prom dress, not that he bought my forgiveness. He did it to be nice. He wasn’t expecting anything in exchange. He wasn’t standing in Wesley’s office with a stupid grin on his fat face like I should jump up and down and shower him with kisses.”
“I believe you were focusing on the letting go.”
“Oh right. I don’t know if I’ll ever trust him like I used to. We may never get back to where we once were but we might be able to be good friends, just not best friends.” She buried her nose in the bouquet and inhaled their fragrance. “Brian is so sweet. I can’t believe he sent me flowers again. I’m gonna go call him.”
***
“Angelcakes, you do remember this is an evening establishment, right? That should be perfect for you seeing as how you’re a vampire.”
“The alley provides enough shade for me. I can easily make it to your door from the sewer access tunnel.”
“You don’t know how that fills my life with joy. What can I do for you? It’s not like I was doing anything important.” Lorne tightened the belt on his yellow and purple silk robe.
“I thought she forgave me. We had such a great night together.”
“I thought she had a date with… OK. There’s no need to growl at me. I’m not the one who’s dating your wife.”
“This was after her date. She was being nice. She patched up my wound and brought me some blood. We had a pillow fight and everything was great. She was still being nice to me this morning too.”
“So what’s the problem, crumbcake. It sounds like an excellent beginning.”
“That’s just it. I thought..”
“You thought you had crossed the finish line. You need to exercise those brain cells of yours. Your relationship is going to need more than a pillow fight to fix it. Although I must say the mental images are doing wonders for me.”
“Lorne”
“Sorry. It sounds like she’s giving you an opening. Forgiveness isn’t easy for brown eyes. She’s been hurt a lot in her short life. You weren’t the first person to abandon her. The fact that she’s even giving you a chance is quite a risk for her poor heart. I suggest you don’t screw it up this time. I believe there are at least two people who would be glad to help you meet a dusty end if you fail again. I, myself, may just have to give them a helping hand.”
“Wes says I should be more supportive of her “tentative relationship”. Apparently if I want to be a good friend, I have to support Cordelia’s burgeoning feelings. Like it’s a good idea that any of us encourage that no good Ryan’s attempts to get his hands on my… on Cordelia. I’ll encourage him all right. I’ll encourage him right off the roof.”
“Hey there! Let’s try to remember that BRIAN is a friend of mine.”
“I can’t believe you’re taking his side!”
Lorne held his hands out, ready to ward off an attack if need be. “Don’t put words in my mouth. I simply would prefer it if you refrained from murderous talk where my friend is concerned. That’s all.”
“Well you tell your “Friend” to keep his hands off my…” Angel slammed his fist on the table.
Lorne ignored the sound of wood cracking. “Your what? Don’t stop there. You were doing so well.”
“…”
He sighed dramatically at the stubborn vampire. “The muffin does have a point.”
“Who? What? Huh?”
“I’m the one who was disturbed from my beauty sleep. Wake up those brain cells. Wesley has a good point.”
“I told you! You’re on,” Angel’s face scrunched up in disgust, “Brian’s side.”
“Look you came to me so listen up. Insulting the other guy and purposely using the wrong name isn’t going to help your case. It makes you look and sound like a petulant child. Instead of trying to convince Cordelicious that Brian is all wrong for her, why not try to show her how right you are for her?”
“I never… I didn’t… Why would she want to be with me?”
“I don’t know. You’ll think of something. If all else fails, make stuff up.”
“This is your big speech? THIS is the best you’ve got?”
“Hey! Take a look around the room, sugar. Does it look like I’m open for business? ‘Cuz I’m not.”
“But..”
“I can’t tell you what to say to her. I don’t know her like.. oh I don’t know.. you for instance. Why should she want to be with you? What do you have to offer her?”
“I don’t know.”
Lorne reached around and smacked Angel on his head. “How about love, dumbass? Cordelia is so right about you, beauty with so little brains.”
“What? She said that about me?”
“Yup. It was shortly after you fired her, kicked her to the curb, tossed her out on her ass…”
“I get the point.”
“She was crying in her beer about how you didn’t know a good thing when you had it. She had a good point.”
“She was crying? You gave her a beer? What did she mean by “had it”?”
“She wasn’t crying literally, although she was a little misty-eyed. I know she’s underage but when her eyebrow shoots up, I fold like a table. It’s almost as powerful as that little pouty look she does so well. As for having it, that’s up to you to figure out.”
“Oh. OK. Wait when has she ever used the pouty look on you? What did she want? What did you give her? If you..”
“Retract the claws, sweetie. I’m not her type. She was using it on the muffin. He crumbled faster than a pastry.”
“Oh. What was she using it on Wesley for? What did she want from him? What did he give her?”
“You have it so bad, Angelcakes. You better do something about it before I’m forced to spike your drink with holy water.”
***
Cordelia hadn’t felt so good in a long time. Everything seemed clearer since she let go of her anger. Well not all of her anger. If she really thought about what Angel did, she’d get angry all over again. The stupid vampire hurt her. They were supposed to be family, best friends even. She had let him get closer to her than anyone else ever had.
“Are you alright, Cordelia?”
“What?”
“For a moment I thought you were growling.”
“Don’t be stupid, Wes. I don’t growl. That’s Angel’s department.”
“Of course. I really am pleased that you’ve decided to give him another chance. We do have to work together for the sake of the mission.”
“I know. It will make the whole sharing a bed thing easier too.”
Wesley cleared his throat.
“Don’t be so missish. It’s not that big of a deal.”
“So I assume you’ve told Brian all about it.”
“It hasn’t come up yet.”
“I see.”
“Don’t use that tone with me. It’s not exactly an easy thing to work into a conversation. I mean I’ve only gone out with the guy a couple of times. He may know about demons but that doesn’t mean he’s prepared for the insanity that is my life.”
“I can’t think of anyone who is.” He sent a crooked smile her way. “I was wondering what prompted your decision in regards to Angel.”
“Oh. I guess… There I was on a date with a really great guy that is totally perfect for me and Angel kept popping into my head. I realized that being so angry with him was standing in the way of my being happy. Last night he was injured and I decided to be nice. The next thing I knew we were having fun. We were connecting. This morning it felt like a huge weight had been lifted and it really hit me. I want Angel in my life. Yeah he’s a big jerk and I can’t really trust him so it makes absolutely no sense but that’s my life. Nothing makes sense. I’ve accepted he’s a part of my life and now I’m free to figure out if I want Brian to be a part of my life too.”
“That sounds like an excellent plan.”
“I thought so.”
“Are you doing anything special with him this evening?”
“Geez! I just decided to stop being such a bitch to him. We’re hardly ready to start hanging out together.” Blue eyes stared at her in confusion. “What?”
“I meant are you and Brian doing anything tonight.”
“Oh. No. He has to work late tonight.”
“It’s Friday night.”
“I know. It’s more of a business dinner. I think he started to ask me to go but I was a little unfocused at the time. It’s probably too soon for something like that, don’t you think?”
“I don’t know. I escorted Virginia to her social events early in our relationship.”
“That’s different. You aren’t supposed to go to those things alone. You can be introduced as her escort, no label needed. How would he introduce me to his clients or his co-workers?”
“Introducing you as Cordelia Chase could work but that’s just a thought.”
“Shut up, smartass.”
“What did English do now?”
“Where have you been? I’m starving.” Cordelia reached for the food but Gunn stepped back.
“Hey Miss Grabby Hands. Fork out some money first.”
“But I’m hunnggrry and my purse is all the way over there. I need food before I fade away.”
“Nice try. Whining and batting your eyelashes at me don’t work, only cold hard cash.”
“I didn’t know that about you. What will a twenty buy me?”
Gunn edged inside her personal bubble. “What did you have in mind?”
She snatched the bag from his hand and ran. “Sucker!”
Wesley laughed as Gunn gave chase.
Cordelia ran through the office, out the other door and around the red couch before Gunn caught her. Her shriek echoed through the hotel as he tossed her over his shoulder. He slapped her butt when she kept wriggling.
“Ow!”
“You shouldn’t pick fights you can’t win.”
“Is that right?”
Gunn grabbed her knees when she pushed on his back so she would dangle lower. Cordelia bit him on the butt causing him to yelp and lose his grip on her.
Cordelia tumbled off her high perch. The hard floor was centimeters from her head. She looked up into Angel’s concerned eyes and gulped.
“Are you alright, Cordelia?”
Wesley’s voice sounded far away. Her gaze was lost in beautiful chocolate brown eyes. “Nice catch.”
Angel set her on her feet. “Are you okay?”
She shook off her disorientation. “I’m fine. The moron over there dropped me.”
Once he was sure she was okay, he glared at Gunn. “What the hell were you doing?”
“It’s not my fault. She bit me on my ass.”
Angel spun around. “What the hell were you doing biting his ass?”
She shrugged. “It seemed like a good idea at the time. He’s was being all Neanderthal man on me.”
“Yeah Barbie. It was a great idea right up until you almost cracked your head open on the floor.”
“How was I supposed to know you’d drop me? I didn’t realize what a wussy you’ve turned into. What happened to the big tough guy whose life I protected?”
“Protected? More like you almost got me killed and bashed in the head of one of my crew.”
“Pfft. That was an honest mistake. I think you should apologize for almost breaking my neck by buying me lunch.” She glanced at the clock. “Although you took so long to get back, it’s more like dinner.”
“Fine. You always find a way to get out of paying.”
“That’s so not true.”
Gunn passed her a takeout container. “I’m sorry for dropping you.”
She leaned over and kissed his bald head. “I’m sorry for biting you.”
“I hope you’ve both learned a valuable lesson about horseplay in the office.”
“You’re right, Wes. I’ve learned my lesson. In the future, I won’t bite Gunn’s butt unless I know Angel is around to catch me.” She smiled at the scowling vampire. “What’s the matter with you?”
“…”
“Aw you’re mad ‘cuz you didn’t get a thank you.” She wrapped her arms around his neck for a hug. “My hero!” She gasped when Angel’s squeezed her tightly to him. Her words replayed in her head. *My hero*
Angel held her close for another moment before releasing her. He’d experienced a wide range of emotions in a short amount of time. If he’d had a heartbeat, it would have stopped at the sight of Cordelia crashing to the floor, his fear intense. He’d moved from the basement door to catch her in a flash.
He hadn’t seen what made Gunn drop her or why he’d been holding her in the first place. He had to stifle a growl when Gunn gave his reason and where she’d bitten him, his anger burning within. Hearing Cordelia call him her hero made him want to dance her around the room in joy, even if she had said it half-jokingly. Feeling her warm body pressed willingly into his made him wish the others away so he wouldn’t have to let go, his desire eclipsing all other emotions.
Oblivious to his warring emotions, she returned to the counter and began eating. “Mmmm. Thank you, Gunn. You’re so good to me.”
Gunn bumped her with his shoulder. “That’s ‘cuz you’re my girl.” Neither noticed Angel’s stormy expression.
***
“What exciting plans do you have tonight, Wes?”
“Gunn has challenged me to a rematch.”
“And tonight I’m gonna be ready for him.”
“For the last time, I did NOT cheat.”
“Try to sell me another one, English, I’ve heard that one before.”
“I think you both need to learn a lesson in getting your asses kicked with grace. Why don’t you take Angel with you tonight?”
“What? I doubt he’d be interested in a game darts or the pub we frequent.”
“Besides we don’t want him there.”
Cordelia placed her hands on her hips, her foot tapping in annoyance. “I’ve had to listen to all those speeches about giving Angel a chance and..”
“Hey that wasn’t me. I got the same speeches as you.”
“Yes but I listened to them and so should you.” Her steely gaze locked with Wesley’s. “It’s time for you to practice what you preach, mister.”
“Yes well I… Oh alright. Why don’t we make a night of it? All four of us can do something together. It has been quite awhile.”
Angel walked into the office as if he hadn’t been listening.
“Angel, excellent timing. I was just suggesting that the four of us do something together this evening. How does that sound?”
He decided to ignore his hurt feelings. The important thing was he would be with Cordelia and Brian wouldn’t. “I’m in.”
“Sorry boys. I have a date so it’ll just be the three of you.”
“Did you change your mind about Brian’s business dinner?”
“Nope. This is a totally different guy.”
“WHAT?” Angel swallowed his growl and tried to look calm.
“What happened to the accountant? You get tired of him already?”
“Of course not. I made this date before I even met Brian. I can’t just cancel.”
“Why not? Who is this guy? Have Gunn or I met him?”
“Geez. You guys are totally unfair. I don’t grill you about your dates.”
“We’re not the ones who are always getting into trouble.”
“Pfft. This from the guy with the bullet wound, you’re such a..”
“Cordelia, you can call me any name you wish but first I want the name of this man you’re seeing. Who is he? Is he important to you?”
“He’s very important to me. He just kinda wiggled his way into my heart.”
Angel couldn’t remain calm any longer. Now he had two men to compete with. “You’re not going.”
“Yes I am.”
“No you’re not.”
She relented when she saw the anger building in his eyes. She only meant to tease them. She hadn’t intended to start a fight. “Calm down. You guys are totally overreacting. You’ve all met him. OK. Wes has never gotten along with him but that’s because he’s always so rude to him.”
“Who are… Oh. OH! Cordelia, that was totally uncalled for.”
“Girl, sometimes you are just begging for a good spanking. Let’s go before she drives me crazy enough to try.”
“You better run, baldy.”
“What the hell! Did I miss something?”
Cordelia rolled her eyes at the still clueless vampire. “I promised Dennis we’d watch a movie together tonight. He wouldn’t help me pack unless I promised I’d come over at least once a week and spend some time with him.”
“Oh. That’s okay then.”
“Excuse me? Did you just give me your permission to go out?”
Gunn and Wesley both took a step back.
“No. I’m saying I won’t have to follow you.”
“You’re such an ass.”
“I’ll remember that the next time you take a nosedive off Gunn’s shoulder.”
“That’s it. I totally take back my hero comment, you big bully.” She saw the flash of hurt in his eyes. She really hadn’t meant to pick a fight. “I was only teasing.” She hooked her arm with his.
“Come on. I’ll let you guys drop me off at my apartment. If you promise to be nice, you can even come up and greet my date. Although I should warn you, Angel, he may be a little hostile at first. I haven’t gotten a chance to tell him about our truce yet. You might not want to drink anything he offers you just in case.”