Part 2
FRIDAY MORNING
Angel slowly made his way down the stairs of the Summers’ home. Working though a mild hangover, Angel buttoned up his navy blue shirt and tried to focus on not tripping downstairs.
“Looks like someone decided to join the land of the living,” Buffy greeted.
“Neat trick considering he’s dead,” Xander quipped.
As Angel moved into the living room, he noticed the entire gang was gathered around. Lovely. As if waking up from a bourbon and whiskey hangover wasn’t bad enough, seeing Xander Harris this early only made it worse. Angel vocalized that thought.
“Yeah, and I love you, too,” Xander replied. “So, how are things with you? Still dead?”
Angel ignored him and took a seat next to Dawn on the couch. The room was silent as Angel followed along with the magazine Dawn was reading. “It’s nice to see Justin’s moved on after his breakup with Britney,” he mused.
Dawn looked at him strangely for a moment before turning back to her issue of Seventeen. Buffy reappeared from the kitchen and handed cups of coffee to Xander and Giles. “Can I get you anything?” she asked.
Angel flicked a finger in Giles direction. “Can I have a cup?”
“Sure. Do you take it black?” Angel nodded that he did. Buffy retreated back into the kitchen to retrieve another cup. Angel then leaned back against the couch and closed his eyes. He heard a soft clank from Giles’ direction.
The Watcher had put his cup down. He was making slight noises to clear his throat.
“Go ahead and ask.”
“Pardon me?” Giles responded. Buffy came back in and handed the cup to Angel. The vampire took a sip and said his thanks.
“You want to ask me something. Go ahead. Just some fair warning: There’s no guarantee I’ll give a straight answer.”
Upon Giles’ hesitation, Willow spoke up from behind her psychology book. “He wants to know why you’re in Sunnydale.”
“Thank you, Willow,” Giles said dryly. “But would you care to answer that, Angel?”
“Not really.”
The Scoobies paused as they considered this new attitude that Angel presented. “So how is everyone in LA?” Buffy asked.
“Wesley’s fine. He betrayed me. Joined the enemy. Did the whole ‘minion of hell’ thing for a bit before rejoining the fold to battle an ancient demon who wanted to destroy the world. Gunn is still Gunn, which means he’s still whooping ass with the best of them. Dated Fred for a little while. That fell apart. Fred’s still really smart. Oh, and Lorne’s still green.”
Angel began to drink his coffee as if the conversation was over.
“And Cordelia?” Giles asked.
The look that Angel turned on him chilled Giles. “Cordelia’s fine,” was all that he said. It was obvious that no further information was coming. With a sigh, Buffy grabbed her purse from the table and spoke to Dawn.
“You ready to go to school?”
“No.”
“Tough luck. Get your backpack. Xander, can you give us a ride?”
“Sure thing.”
Dawn grunted in frustration and tossed the magazine aside. Angel picked it up as the girl retrieved her backpack. “Will you be okay by yourself?” Buffy asked him. “We all have to go to work now.”
“I think I’ll survive being alone,” Angel answered dryly. “I’ve got tons of practice at it.” He looked up from the magazine at her and curiously asked, “Where do you work?”
“I’m a councilor at the high school,” Buffy said proudly. “Willow substitutes there sometimes. That’s where she’ll be at today.”
Angel stared at her blankly. “You work at the high school?”
“The irony isn’t lost on any of us,” Xander assured him. “You girls ready to ride in the Xander-mobile?”
“That anything like a clown car?”
“Shut up, Tall, Dark, and Dead.”
Angel smirked at the fact that he was getting under the boy’s skin. “Why don’t you just take my car? I’m not going anywhere at this time of day.”
A wide grin came across all three girls’ faces. “You mean the convertible?” Willow asked. “In full daylight with the top down and everything?” Angel smiled at the enthusiasm. “Kick ass. Where are the keys? I get to drive. Can I please drive?”
“I wanna drive it,” Buffy pouted.
“You drove it last night,” Willow countered.
“Keys should be in my coat pocket,” Angel tried to interrupt
“But that was at night,” Buffy argued. Willow wasn’t going to back down. “Paper, rock, scissors on three. One, two, three! Damn!” Willow’s rock beat her scissors. “How do you always beat me?”
“Because you’re predictable,” Willow said as she retrieved the keys from Angel’s coat. “You have a fetish for sharp things.”
“Fine. But I get shotgun.”
“I want shotgun!”
“Race you to it!”
In a flash the girls were rushing out to the car. Angel chuckled at their squeals of excitement and flipped through the magazine. “So where are you two heading?”
“I’m consulting for the Natural History Museum. Xander is off to some construction site or another.”
Angel’s brows raised in shock. “I don’t know which is more surprising. The fact that Xander’s job doesn’t involve grilling meat products, or that someone actually trusts him with heavy machinery.”
“Here, here,” Giles agreed softly as he grabbed his briefcase. Xander watched as Giles headed to the car, swearing that the Englishman had made some crack against him. He finally turned a dirty look at Angel.
“I hate you,” Xander stated.
“And I don’t care. Ta ta.” Xander huffed in anger before leaving. With the house now silent, Angel could read in peace.
“Holy shit! Destiny’s Child is breaking up? This is a sad day.”
***
Lilah barely looked up when the body of one of her ‘security’ guards came crashing through the office doors. The burly man fell in a heap just short of one of the guest chairs. Lilah continued to sign her name to various documents.
“Hello, lover,” she called. “Been a while. You here to pump me for information, or are you just here to pump me?”
Wesley stepped over the unconscious body of Lilah’s Chief of Security and took a seat. He propped his feet on the desk and glanced at his former lover with a strange little smile. He was pleased when he finally unnerved her enough with his staring for her to finally look up.
“What do you want?”
“Want? Lilah, I am shocked and appalled that you would presume to think that the only reason I would visit you is if I wanted something.”
“So why are you here?”
“Oh, I want something.”
“Of course you do.” Lilah tossed her pen aside and leaned back in her plush leather chair. “But first, let us dispense with the pleasantries. So, how are you? Have you been doing alright since that little apocalypse we had?”
“I wouldn’t take that tone with me, Lilah. After all, I did save your life during that little apocalypse. And if I am not mistaken, Angel saved your sorry ass several times as well.”
“Ah, Angel. How is the vampire with the perpetually sloping forehead?”
“I was hoping you could tell me.”
“Wesley, I am shocked and appalled that you would presume to think I would know how he is.”
“Knock off the charade, Lilah. Angel’s been gone for a couple weeks now. He left after defeating the Beast.”
Lilah gave that evil little grin that always seemed to make him hard. “Which, if I’m not mistaken, would be around the same time that everyone’s favorite link to the Powers gave birth. Whatsa matter, soul-boy couldn’t handle the fact that his little bitch was carrying a child that wasn’t his? And I thought he had values.”
“And I thought you had intelligence. You ever call Cordelia a bitch again and I will rip your heart out of that Grand Canyon you call a cunt. Do you understand me?”
Lilah was surprised when she felt an inkling of fear run through her body. “So what do you want from me?”
“Well, Lilah, if you had been following the conversation, you might have been able to deduce that I want to know where Angel is.”
“And what makes you think I would know?”
“Because you’re obsessed with Angel.”
“Oh, pfft! I am not obsessed with Angel!”
Wesley smiled slightly. His expression clearly bore his disbelief. “We both know that I was thinking of another woman when we were together. And we both know you were thinking of another man when we together.” Lilah tried to object.
“Don’t lie to me, Lilah. Angel turns you on. The mere thought that he could rip your throat out without blinking is nearly enough to make you come. So as you said, Lilah, let us dispense with the bullshit. Where is your fantasy man?”
Lilah was silent for several moments as Wesley continued to smirk at her in that self-assured manner of his. “I don’t know. I honestly don’t. I’ve sent out feelers to see if anyone has noticed him, but so far, nothing. Wherever Angel is, he apparently doesn’t want to be found.”
Wesley smiled and nodded. He figured Lilah was telling the truth. There was a slight quiver to her voice whenever Angel’s name was mentioned. “You do realize,” he said perfunctorily, “that if I discover that you are lying to me, I will snap your neck. And if that thought turns you on, you are far more disturbed than I imagined.”
Wesley stood up with a flourish and bowed slightly. “Good day, Lilah.”
Lilah waited until Wesley had disappeared before losing her temper. Jerking a lamp off her desk, she threw it across the room. Noticing the unconscious body on her floor, she shouted out into the hall. “Will somebody remove this asshole?” Dejected, she buried her face in her hands.
“I hate Watchers and I hate fucking vampires.”