Shades of Gray. 1

Title: Shades of Gray
Author: Frazi
Posted: 04/04
Email
Rating: R
Category: Smut, Humour, S1
Content: C/A
Summary: Male ego on independent women. Nuff said.
Spoilers: Season one.
Disclaimer: The characters in the Angelverse were created by Joss Whedon & David Greenwalt. No infringement is intended, no profit is made.
Distribution: AA, GT, Just Fic is fine with me anywhere else just ask.
Notes: Well this is all Califi’s fault. if she hadn’t been all ooooh think of this… oooh how about this. I might never have gotten into this mess in the first place. Thanks a lot Cali 😉 Lurve ya! Here’s what she said: (At bottom of page).
Thanks/Dedication:
Feedback: Pweeeze?

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The woman marched into the office without greeting, her blue eyes etched with weariness and lack of enthusiasm.

“I wouldn’t be here if I had another option.” The vampire wondered why the hell his help was asked with such reluctance.

Maybe he’d have to put a sign on the door that said, ‘FREE’ along with ‘Helping the hopeless.’ Did they not know he was doing this for a good unselfish cause? His redemption.

Kate. Detective. Another working woman in men’s clothes. As if the fact that she wore jeans and a leather jacket suddenly made her a tough cookie on the street. Bullshit.

“Such enthusiasm.” He couldn’t hold the deadpan sarcasm as he leaned back in his chair, his easy sprawl unaffected by the abrupt arrival of the woman. “What can I do for you Kate?”

“It’s not human.” She pulled a slightly rumpled photograph from her seat pocket and slapped it onto the table in front of him. Planting her hands on her hips, her blue eyes narrowed and regarded him with suspicion.

He had half a mind to kick her legs out from under her. Just for fun. But then he was being a good boy. He had to play by the rules. So what if his girlfriend left him because he was a vampire and she was a slayer and went hay-romping a little boy with a pulse?

He wasn’t bitter. Not a bit. So what if he was blood sucking creature of the night because he had a responsibility to a family he’d just started rebuilding. He wasn’t resentful. Not a bit.

Now he realized why his father was such a slaver driver.

His gaze dropped without making a motion to pick it up and looked at the grizzly face of the demon he recognized all too well. “Tuslah Demon.”

“It’s at the old theater near the boardwalk. Kill it.”An eyebrow arched up and he regarded her with stoic complacency.

Maybe Cordelia was right. Maybe the bleach did soak into their heads to make them think they could order him about. First Darla, then Buffy; and now this seemingly tough woman. What; did he have a post-it on his forehead saying ‘If blonde, make fun of the incredibly old vampire’?

“Are you going to or not?” She glared at him.

For an instant he wanted her to actually ask him instead of telling him. And he bit back the retort burning on his tongue. What was with women these days anyway? First Cordelia is all emancipated with her clothes and well placed jibes and now he was being pushed about by a slip of a woman with a badge that meant nothing to a vampire of two centuries of age.

There was no respect left in this world.

He picked up the picture and stretched his legs, drawing to his full height as he towered over the woman from across the desk. “My contract with the powers say I have to.”

She blinked slightly at the sardonic twitch of his chocolate eyes and stepped away from his shadow. And the uneasiness settled in her stomach as she watched the lithe form of the vampire now at his full height and her bravado caved. For a minute she regretted the ice in her voice and her rude entrance. She figured she really should be nice to the man.

Even if he wasn’t really human. “Thanks. Page me.” She fidgeted for moment under his attentive scrutiny then looked up bravely into the creature’s eyes. “I’ll see you.” Turning on her heel, she swept her eyes away and walked out of the little office, her nerves on edge.

The vampire gave her the creeps.

Cordelia stood next to Doyle outside Angel’s office and watched the retreating woman with an amused curve of her lips.

“Another one bites the dust.” The snicker came from Doyle and Angel paused in the doorway waiting for yet another argument over his taste in women.

He could almost hear the roll of Cordelia’s eyes as she went about stuffing a folder with invoices. “Figures she’d be a blonde.”

The fingers around the rumpled photograph tightened. Did they purposefully forget Dru?

“Well it works well in me favor Princess.” Angel’s eyes watched the wall, hearing the smirk in Doyle’s voice on the other side and shift of cloth as he propped his elbow on Cordelia’s shoulder flirtatiously.

“While Angel reels in his blondes, I can work on this scrumptious brunette.”

“Pffft! Angel? And ME! Are you kidding me!” He bit hard against his teeth, his jaw hardening.

Did she just imply he was beneath her? HER! The FORMER boy-slayer of SunnyHell, stranded in a big ol’ city penniless without a champion until Angel had come, was suddenly being prissy about her preferences where he was concerned?

“Come on Princess; tell me ye weren’t just a little jealous of the illustrious Buffy Summers?”

“GAH! You are NOT serious! Eyow! I do not need to reach for a bottle of peroxide to attract a man!” Oh that was just it dammit! He’d get some respect out of this contemptuous young woman if it was the last thing he did!

She had to realize the absolute sacrifice he was making for them.

He figured bestowing his good company and a chance to do some good would be enough to make her realize that he was paragon in his time. Now it just seemed he’d have to convince her more forcefully.

He didn’t care why, but he felt this need to possess her. Call it ego or the lust for power, but he couldn’t stand the fact that she could have one over him. Him; the vampire with a soul. Savior of helpless and Champion of the Powers that do all shit!

He was determined to see her fall flat on her annoyingly perfect face and break that sleek arrogant nose. Yes, he realized. She was perfect in her totality.

Not that she didn’t have flaws.

If only Angel had another couple of hours of doing nothing to just count them. She was pinnacle for the ideal working woman. Something Angel’s mid 18th Century mind could not ever come to grips with.

Even the damned slayer had the sensibility to be slightly afraid of him, but Cordelia; she strutted around in her new age clothes, donned to perfection, lethal and on the prowl with her wide witty mouth and sensual come-hither glances.

This one woman had more flaws in her than a scratchy first day plan for a construction building, he concluded. She was stubborn. She was selfish. She was entirely too apathetic when it came to Angel and she was cold and devious.

And worst of all yet! Independent and liberated! Everything a woman shouldn’t be, he growled inwardly.

She turns me off with her perfection of the woman of the nineties.

Everything about her, from the perfect little skirts and tight hugging blouses to the three inch heels with the fairly curvy figure, reeked of modernism.

He couldn’t stand it. He had to bring the queen to her knees or he knew he wouldn’t sleep for the rest of his nights. She had to know this was his damned sitcom. He was the star of the show and she was his secretary!

Fetching for him and making him coffee was all she needed to do. She needed to know that he was a man and she a mere woman.

Marching out of the office Angel looked up at his two snickering coworkers. “It’s nice to see we’re spending company time discussing my private life.”

They both froze at his untimely entrance. Doyle straightened and grinned up at the vampire.

“Popularity has its burden.” Cordelia shifted out from under Doyle’s arm and gave their vampire boss a wide, innocent smile.

“What’s the word Boss-man?” And there she did it again, he fumed silently. Disregarding his obvious sarcasm over their topic of discussion, she goes about fixing him with that irritatingly brightening smile that made him wish he could reach out and kiss it off her face.

Just to put himself out of its glamour.

Angel held up the picture between his fingers. “Night patrol. You and me. Cordelia can watch the car.”

“WHAT!” She bristled at the obvious disrespect of her abilities as a part of Angel Investigations. “I can do more than watch your dumb old car, Broody!”

“Whatever you say Cordelia.” He did his best to keep the exasperation at her suggestion at a minimum, but the bait had been given.

His ego would not rest till she bowed and she could never resist a challenge.

Continue

What C said:

(1) Kate pops round for one of her ‘i need help’ things.
(2) When the PTB turned him back to a vamp, they put in the soul w/o the curse, cos that wasn’t important to them, they didnt want the worry of Aus ruining their plans for their warrior of the light.
(3) IWRY didn’t play out like that. Buff was there, but to tell him she had riley in her life, he became human again, but buff went to see her dad. she came back to say goodbye just after A went to fight the demon. she killed the demon and they both decided it was best if they left things as they were, he took it back b/c he couldn’t fight demons like he once could and he was concerned for his LA friends.