PART 5
CORDY’S APARTMENT
She was scrubbing the bath, trying to keep busy. She’d already done the oven, wiped down the cupboards and mopped the floors. She knew what was causing the manic cleaning spree; she was in classic denial mode.
I did not melt into a puddle of heated bliss like some dumb blonde in a bad B-movie, I DID NOT, she told herself fiercely. God she couldn’t even convince herself, she dropped her chin despondently on the rim of the white utilitarian bathtub.
To make it even worse, she couldn’t decide if that was less embarrassing than the fact that after she’d ended the ‘enlightening’ call, she’d bolted out of there like a frightened rabbit. She just couldn’t face him right then and so had run, mumbling excuses about emergencies and forgotten appointments.
God what must he be thinking now, she groaned and shook her head, mortified. She raised her chin again, it didn’t matter what he thought, it was never happening again and that was THAT.
“He kisses me again, he’s toast” she promised herself.
The crushing sense of disappointment that followed made her close her eyes and knead her belly to try and sooth it’s jumping. Where the hell had he learned to kiss?
Talk about vampires having a ‘devouring’ kiss, she’d certainly felt like a gourmet meal offered to a starving man. If he could have he’d have swallowed her whole, but in a good way. No, not a good way, not in good way – if she repeated it enough she would believe it.
It wasn’t as if this had been their first kiss, not by a long shot, but the others had been tender and gentle, exploring and tasting one another. This one in comparison, well again with the devouring.
She could still remember a time, where for years she had not even thought of Angel and kissing in the same sentence, well not unless you added Buffy too. Her hazel eyes narrowed dangerously at that.
There’s a thought; where is the intrepid slayer, or ex-slayer, whatever. What was Angel doing putting the moves on her and not Buffy, had Buffy turned him down after all?
Infuriated all over again, she attacked the hapless tub with renewed vigour and not a little venom. Just then there was a knock at the door and she smiled grimly as she stripped the gloves of her hands and went to answer it.
But it wasn’t him. A young woman stood just on the other side, Cordy had never seen her before but for some reason disliked her immediately. Maybe it was the wide guileless blue eyes, or maybe it was simply the shiny blonde hair that she was taking such exception too, given her recent mental gymnastics.
“Hi can I help you” and because she felt guilty about her reaction she smiled her biggest smile and desperately tried to suppress a grimace at the woman’s tight, upswept hairstyle and buttoned up clothes, repressed much?
“Are you Cordelia Chase” asked the woman in a small and hesitant voice, her hands clasping and unclasping with obvious nerves. Her china blues darting around behind Cordy, as if she expected something to suddenly leap out at her.
“That’s me” she said with sunny charm, great who the hell was this nun wannabe?
GYMNASIUM – WOLFRAM & HART BUILDING
Angel ignored the hi tech gym equipment strategically placed around the edges of the custom built facility, in favour of a leather bag, suspended from the ceiling. Something he could safely pound on.
Half an hour later, Angel stood back from the crazily swinging leather bag, running his hand over his dripping brow, ignoring the sweat running down his chest, dampening his white vest which clung to his muscular torso like a second skin.
He had the whole gym to himself, no one except for Wes, Gunn and maybe Fred liked to exercise with the boss and as for Lorne; well he’d keel over with a heart attack if he ever saw Lorne walk in here intending to work up a sweat. He didn’t care about any of that; in fact, he preferred to be left alone in here.
Just as he finished the thought, Wesley walked into the room wearing a t-shirt and casual pants – not exactly recommended office wear, but considering he still wore black combats and knit tops to work he was making no complaints. Someone wants to make an issue of it, they can kiss his ass.
“Taking some exercise then”? Wesley asked facetiously, as it wasn’t exactly in question given the state Angel was in. He came to stand beside the bag, stopping its swing with one hand.
“Gotta keep in shape” answered Angel, equally tongue in cheek.
“Don’t you think you might be able to go on for longer if you actually wore the gloves” asked Wesley deadpan, pointing to the several pairs, lined up on hooks on a nearby wall.
Angel gave a small grin at the slight to his, erm ‘manhood’ and let it slide
“I do OK, seems dumb to me to train for a fist fight wearing something as thick as your average car tyre and then expect to be able to slug it out on the street”
Wesley relaxed, Angel in a bantering mood was an improvement and he had to admit bloody reassuring considering not so recent erratic behaviour. Still….
“You’ve been doing a lot of that recently, or did you think we wouldn’t notice”?
Angel started to answer sharply and then sighed and shrugged, his expression rueful and faintly conciliatory “Don’t worry about it Wes, just think of it as much needed therapy”.
Wesley stared at him a moment longer and then nodded, circling the bag he walked over to the long glass fronted display case, housing an impressive array of weapons.
“Did you want me for something” asked Angel wiping himself down with a towel that had been laid nearby.
“I was thinking we might talk,” said Wesley
“Talk about what”? Asked Angel and isn’t that what were doing?
Wesley looked over and saw he’d gone tense again, he knew he should treat carefully or he would either get shut down or…. to hell with it.
“Cordelia for starters and then the delectable Eve” The sarcasm at the end was unmistakable but it was as if Angel hadn’t even heard him.
“What about Cordelia”? The question was snapped at him rapid fire as Angel walked towards him, his entire focus and attention the topic now that it included her. Interesting thought Wesley, but hardly surprising. Angel is nothing if not consistent and when he was fixated on something, nothing could shift his attention away.
“I was hoping you could tell me,” said Wesley, turning to the side to face the vampire
Angel balled up the towel he was still holding in his hands and with a snap of his wrist sent it sailing into a corner, he watched it fall before looking back at the ex-watcher.
“Cordy’s back in LA and running her own show” He flicked Wesley a sardonic glance before turning back to the punching bag for another round.
“Is that all you know”? Wesley persisted following him.
“Yes”, the bag started to take some punishment again
“She didn’t mention why she came back here to LA?” Angel stopped and glared at him.
Wesley was undaunted, he’d seen that look too often and whereas at one time he would have backed off immediately, now he knew it was just Angel trying to duck out of discussing something he didn’t want to.
“As opposed to starting up elsewhere”? He finished.
“Look Wes, I don’t know OK, go and ask her and anyway don’t you have anything better to do than badger me about this?” Wesley could tell Angel had just passed simmering point, time to change tactics.
“I do actually, fancy a fight”?
“What”? he got the patented ‘are you nuts’ glower
Wesley jerked his head to indicate the weapons cabinet “I need some exercise”.
Sighing deeply Angel raised a single brow at him, waiting for him to get to the point, he knew there was point, with Wesley there always was.
“Sure, what did you have in mind”? He asked neutrally.
Wesley raised a challenging brow “Knives”?
Angel and Wesley faced each other over the mats, neither of them wearing protective gear, “No drawing blood” stipulated Angel
“Couldn’t agree more, considering it would take me ten times longer to heal than you”,
It would have been an impressive sight if anyone had been watching them. Both were tall and dark; but with one much slighter than the other. Both obviously skilled but one with superhuman speed and endurance, it should have been over in minutes but neither wanted that. Angel held back and Wesley stepped up.
With whirring speed the knives darted in, out and under the arm held up to protect and deflect. The speed of both men was incredible as they wove their way from side to side of the mat, never stepping over the line although several times nearly overbalancing.
The knives would clash with a ring of steel again and again and again making the snickerty snick sounding rhythm almost musical. To an observer the movements of each man might have seemed choreographed, as if they were taking part in some kind of deadly dance.
The duel went on for so long that Wesley’s clothes were wrung through and he was finding it difficult to protect his eyes from the stinging sweat. He could tell he was tiring; it was nearly time to call a halt.
But then he overreached and Angel tripped him, he fell on his back on the mat, quite glad of the respite. That’s what you get for challenging a vampire he thought to himself.
Angel didn’t press his attack but casually tossed both knives out of harms way and held down a hand to haul the ex-watcher up, Wesley reached up to take the hand but in a moment of insanity or levity pulled instead. Angel not expecting it fell and crashed down next to him.
They both starting laughing, Wesley holding his belly and roaring as he recalled the expression on Angel’s face as he started to go over.
Angel sat up and placed an elbow on each knee, he looked down at the still laughing man who was a good friend even if he was too damned persistent. But at least this approach was better than the ‘tea’.
“I saw Cordy again last night”.
Wesley leaned up on one elbow and quirked a brow as if to say ‘go on’.
“She ran into me in the sewers running from two of those demons you and Fred Identified, she’d already killed one of them” He paused, running the scene through his minds eye again.
“She killed one of them?” asked Wesley his expression and tone one of admiration and surprise.
“Yeah and she was covered in filth too” He was grinning now, only someone who knew Cordelia would understand how unusual that is for her.
“We killed the last two together, she was amazing”
“You sound proud” said Wesley a smile on his own lips.
“I was damned proud of her, course I was mad too, I hated the way she had put herself in danger”
Wesley could imagine it, Angel was quite forward thinking for an eighteenth century man. But political correctness went out the window when it threatened to cause a loved one to get hurt and Angel loved Cordy.
“Then she ran out on me”, he looked casual as he said it, but Wesley knew there was some more to this. Not to mention it was hard not to miss the hurt in Angel’s voice. Hmmm, time to execute plan B.
CORDY’S APARTMENT
“Can I get you a drink or something?” asked Cordy when she’d finally managed to convince her guest to take a seat, or valium she thought, what’s with the nerves?
“No, I’m fine thanks. I really appreciate you letting me come in and talk” said Eve with eye’s carefully downcast.
“No problem, what can I help you with” asked Cordy, all business. You didn’t have to like clients to want to help them.
“I need to talk to someone about my boss”, said the woman with more hand wringing
Cordy was stumped, “Erm are you sure you’ve come to the right place, I mean work relationship issues are not exactly my area of expertise”
Eve’s head came up and she looked quizzically and hopefully at Cordy, “But you know him”
Cordy’s belly took another dive; she could guess what was coming.
“His name is Angel” said the woman, obviously slightly put off by the not so receptive look now on her face.
“What’s your problem exactly?” asked Cordy her face wiped clean of expression.
“He keeps coming onto me and I’m not sure what to do about it. I mean there’s no one I can talk to about it at work. I’ve only been there a short while, after he took it over in fact, but I heard that you used to know him well”.
Cordy said nothing, just kept gazing steadily at Eve. This is crazy, could this possibly get any ickier.
“I’m sorry if coming here was wrong its just, I’m a little scared. Sometimes he seems almost unbalanced and I think he forgets who I am and thinks I’m someone else”. Eve was starting to look seriously distressed now.
But Cordy couldn’t move over to her and offer comfort, for some reason the thought of it make her flesh crawl.
“Do you have any idea who this other woman might be, or what I should do”? Prompted Eve, watching Cordy’s face intently.
ANGELS APARTMENT – WOLFRAM & HART BUILDING
A little later, Eve walked through the Angel’s empty apartment. Fingers trailing over the rich colours of the leather suite, delicate fingers tracing the patterns on the cushions, he would be a while yet according to her source, she had some time.
She had prepared carefully, bathing in a vanilla scented bath and using only the lightest of scents to accentuate the perfume that he would find very familiar.
She had studied the file of the slayer very carefully, her habits and preferences, pictures over the years had been traced and gathered for intelligence purposes.
Eve was dressed in a silky and skimpy pyjama suit, the top cropped with spaghetti straps. Her golden shoulders gleamed invitingly, but in no way vying with the golden mop of loose and flowing blonde hair. Pink luscious lips pouted experimentally. She was ready; all she needed to do was perform the spell.
She smiled after she had finished and the smoke drifted around the darkened room, permeating every corner with the pervasive odour of woodsmoke and something else, sweet and intoxicating.
She had drawn all of the curtains and lit only a few of the smaller lamps to give the room with its dark oak furniture a feeling of homeliness. She sat down with her legs curled up under her on his favourite leather chair, a book in one hand and the lamp next to her bathing her in its soft glow.
He shouldn’t be long now and she smiled at the corner of the room where a hidden camera was recording.