PART 7
ANGELS BEDROOM
They lay together on the bed as they used to before she’d left. His bigger body wrapped around hers, the cover wrapped around the both of them, keeping her body heat in with them and warming him.
“Are you awake” she asked him but didn’t turn around.
He debated not answering and pretending to be asleep, but knew she would never fall for it. He shifted back a little but didn’t move his arm where it was draped over her hip.
“Yeah”
Keep it simple, less likely to put his foot in his mouth and say something to set her off. But he could feel it brewing; there was a heavy expectant air around them.
“Can I ask you something”? asked Cordy in a hushed voice, still facing away from him.
“What” he felt uneasy, usually Cordy would just ask, not ask if she could.
He wished she would turn around so he could see her face, but after what had just happened there was no way he was going to try and make her. He listened to her breathing as she lay there, waiting for her to go on.
“Did you want this, or was it the spell”?
What the hell was she asking him? He turned over and lay on his back, a hand rubbing over his face, What to say? It was daybreak which was hardly his best time of day and he had a killer hangover.
When he stayed silent for so long, she lost it and shot out of the bed so fast all he could do was stare at her.
“Ok ,don’t answer that; I don’t want to know”, she was jerking her clothes on as she spoke the words stiff and a little choked.
Last night she hadn’t cared but now she did, it hurt and she just wanted to get out of there and away from him. She shouldn’t have stayed, scratch that she thought, I should have just left him lying on the floor.
“Cordy wait”
“Stay the hell away from me” she tossed back as started to stalk towards the door.
He suddenly materialised in front of her and she shot out a punch straight for his nose, his hand caught her fist but he didn’t try and keep hold of her, but backed up a step while still blocking the door. At least he’d wrapped one of the towels around his hips.
“Please, will you just wait and give me a chance to answer?” His eyes were pleading his expression strained.
She crossed her arms and glared at a spot on his chest, refusing to meet his eyes. “Do it and hurry up” she snapped.
He sighed but tried anyway “I did want you, both times and not just because of the spell”.
He waited for a few beats, hoping she would at least look him again, finally she did. Her gaze steady but still not appeased.
“I always want you” he said softly, hoping desperately to convince her.
“The first time out there”, he nodded towards the sitting room, “I was almost out of control but I knew I wanted you and then later in here. I knew exactly what I was doing”.
She said nothing, just kept looking at him as if weighing his words against what she saw on his face.
A part of him hated admitting that, he couldn’t remember all of the details yet, it was still a little hazy and he wasn’t sure she’d been willing. Admitting he’d been in control of himself meant he might have done something so terrible it hurt just to think about.
But lying to her was wrong and he had promised her a long time that he would not lie to her again, no matter what. Some promises just had to be kept.
“What about you? did you” he struggled to ask, “erm did I, I mean were you..” he trailed off, the words stuck in his throat and he had to look away from her.
“Did I what”? She looked confused but he was still looking away and didn’t see it, her voice was no longer tight with anger though.
He tried again. “Were you willing”? He asked with a grimace and a darting look up.
She gaped at him as he met her eyes again, “Was I willing? Angel you big dork, of course I was willing. I practically seduced you”.
She smiled then “Don’t you remember?”
He shrugged reassured but still paler than usual “Most of it, but some of the details are still a bit unclear”.
“Oh’ said Cordy, disappointed, then she jumped towards him in alarm as he started to sway where he was standing.
“Angel are you OK” She put her arms around him, trying to help him stay on his feet.
“Yeah I just need to get back down” His voice was weak and unsteady too.
“OK just lean on me”, they made their way back to the bed just fine if not in a straight line.
Angel fell back on the bed and winced, moaning and pressing the heel of his hand to his forehead.
“Got a hangover have we” asked Cordy brightly, reassured when he nodded and gave another moan as the movement caused his head to throb again.
“Do you feel sick?” she asked laying a hand on his shoulder.
“No” he replied. Turning on his side, his eyes squeezed tightly shut.
“You big baby, how old are you? She laughed
In response he hooked an arm around her hips and pulled her towards him, she didn’t resist and when she was sitting next to him, he lifted his head and snuggled down into her lap, his face pressed into her belly.
She laid a hand on his dark head and stroked down and over his broad back, he heaved a sigh and wrapped his circling arms around her hips a little tighter.
“What, am I a pillow now”? She asked a smile lighting her already beautiful face, soft full lips curved in amusement, dark hazel eyes sparkling with amusement at his antics.
“Hmm” was all she got out of him
“Are you still mad at me?” he asked after a few moments had passed and she hadn’t tried to move him off her.
He sounded muffled and she could only just make out the words. He certainly wasn’t in any hurry to move.
“No, I’m not mad anymore” It was true, as much as he had hurt her, he’d managed to dig himself out of it, “I must be going soft”.
“You wanna get comfortable again then?” he sounded so hopeful she grinned down at his head and started to slide back until she was lying down. He moved then to face her and lifted a hand to stroke her dark silky hair away from her face.
His dark brown eyes were clear and he smiled delightedly at her. She narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously, had he been putting it on in a play for sympathy.
He saw it and guessed what she was thinking and said quickly “I feel better lying down”.
Yeah right.
EVE’S APARTMENT
“This had better have worked”. She pressed play on the vide player and leaned forward on the couch, an icepack held to her swollen nose, below bruised eyes.
The TV screen changed from static to the sitting room with her smiling in the chair, she watched it from that point. Dispassionately analysing as it showed her attempt to seduce Angel, followed by the interruption.
She froze the screen on Cordelia’s friend purely out of curiosity and as she hadn’t paid much attention at the time. Plain Jane; pale with no makeup, mousy brown hair stuffed into a ponytail, baggy jeans. Not exactly a femme fatale or anything close. But she’d need checking out anyway.
She turned it back to play again, the rest she hadn’t seen. Her face went tight and pinched with rage when she saw the dark haired bitch getting all down and dirty with the guy she was supposed to have seduced.
You’d have to be blind not to see the difference in the way Angel had reacted to the two women, with her he’d been unable to not respond because of the spell but he’d just lain there. With Cordelia he’d all but run her to ground and then started to rip her clothes off.
This was not good and the Senior Partners were not going to like it, she would have to find other uses for this goddamn tape. She mentally ran through her options.
Two looked promising, she decided finally, but both individuals would need to be tracked down before she considered sending a copy to them, anonymously of course.
A MOTEL ROOM
Cathy tossed and turned in her sleep, brown hair matted with sweat, face pale and strained and scrunched up as is if in pain. Nightmares assaulted her mind, images of death, killing torture and pain.
She kicked the sheet off her body and her arms flailed around as if trying to push the dreams away. Then she quieted for awhile as the tone of the dreams changed. More pain but this time with guilt and sorrow and a deep aching loneliness.
Then more pain as it came to her in flashing images; a child loved and lost, taken and abused only to return and be lost again. Her breathing hitched and then stopped altogether. She sat bolt upright amongst the mess of the bedclothes, moaning and clutching her head with tears dripping down her cheeks.
“Shit, Oh shit” she kept repeating it as she staggered up on weak legs and went into the tiny bathroom to splash her face with cold water. She could barely catch the water in her cupped palms, she was shaking so hard.
A while later she sat on the chair in the corner with blue eyes red rimmed and bloodshot. A mug of strong coffee in her still trembling hands. All she could think was that Cordy must have lost it and he’d picked it up and kept it on him. So where was Cordelia, she tried again just in case but could only find him, she blocked it.
“Where are you Cordy”, she wasn’t particularly worried, well only a bit. Its not like she kept permanent tabs on her, Cordy knew all she had to do was take it off and the link was severed. But that’s not what had happened there was still a link, only now it was Angel.
ANGEL’S BEDROOM
Angel woke up to find a note from Cordy on the pillow next to him, remembering the last note she left him, he panicked until he read it. She’d had to leave on an errand but would see him later, he relaxed again.
He left the bed and took a shower, happily preparing to face the afternoon and night ahead. He returned to the bedroom to finish dressing when something caught his eye, lying on the bed where he’d been sleeping.
He reached over and snagged it up, it was a slim leather cord, with a small piece of wood attached to it. He rubbed his finger over it; it was smooth but otherwise unremarkable to look at, except for the fact there was blood on it, old blood but still there anyway. His brows drew together as he vaguely recalled it had been around Cordy’s neck. What was it some kind of talisman?
He fished out of his pocket the note she had left, she’d written down her cell phone number in case he wanted to talk to her, smiling again he memorised it carefully. Should he call her or wait until a little later? He didn’t want her to think he was being obsessive or anything.
PART 8
EVE’S APARTMENT
Eve answered the door and stood with one hip cocked, blocking it with her other arm. Her face was bruised and swollen still, but she still managed to look arrogantly assured.
“What do you want”? She looked with disdain at Cordy. “What’s up did lover boy kick you out of bed? A classy girl like you too, damn it’s such a shame” taunted Eve.
“Hardly, but that’s none of your business” Said Cordy steadily.
“A girls gotta have some fun,” said Eve mockingly “come on where’s the gossip”?
Cordy ignored her and pushed her way past the smaller woman only to turn around and give a scornful smile of her own.
“Is that the closest you can get to a sex life Eve, gossip or is that before you’re forced to resort to drugs and magic”?
“Oh I wouldn’t be so uppity if I were you, looks to me you got something out of that too” Said Eve with a sneer on her face.
“It’s interesting you should say that. Exactly how do you know that, since you were out cold at the time”?
Eve just walked past Cordy and into the living room to lean on a sideboard, her feet nonchalantly crossed at the ankle.
“What did you come here for Ms Chase?”
“I want the videotape you took out of Angel’s apartment”
“I don’t know what you mean” said Eve, not even bothering to try and lie well.
“I found the camera you had hidden in the room, so I know you’re a lying bitch” said Cordy matter of factly.
“Maybe with all the excitement I forgot to put one in”. She smirked and then feigned a shiver.
“Security said you came back afterwards, why was that if not to get the tape”? Asked Cordy, hiding the rising anger, how could I have ever fallen for this woman’s crap?
“Look Cordelia, this has been interesting and all but I have work to do, so you get to leave now”, Eve smiled at her, assured that Cordy would not get what she wanted out of this little chat.
“I’m not going anywhere until you give me that tape, so just get used to the idea and save us both some time, not to mention me the pleasure of your company” said Cordy her voice dripping with deadly sarcasm
“Or what, you gonna hurt me? Well maybe I like pain” said Eve mockingly, opening her arms wide in invitation.
“Oh purleaze is that supposed to impress me with how much of a sicko you are. Like I don’t know that already”. Cordy sauntered closer with a cold smile.
“You know something? I think I actually miss Lilah, unlike you, at least she had some standards” Cordy let scornful eyes wander over the woman’s clothes. “I mean c’mon if those shorts got any shorter you need a pickaxe and a tow truck to get them out of your ass”.
“Maybe she did, until you killed her” said Eve maliciously, but her face went pinched with anger. That had hit home.
“You might want to bear that in mind” Cordy answered coolly.
Eve turned around and pulled out a drawer, she took something from it but didn’t close it. It was a small camera tape; she tossed it onto the nearby couch.
“You got what you came for, now get out”
“How do I know if this isn’t the right one….?” Cordy didn’t get to finish
“It is” said Eve
“Did you make a copy”? This had been way too easy, she would never have believed that Eve would hand it over so easily, what did I hurt your ‘widdle’ feelings?
“How could I? it’s only been a few hours and I’ve been here ever since. Do you want it or not”? Asked Eve with a show of boredom.
Cordy moved to the couch and carefully reached down to pick it up. It looked like the right type but she didn’t trust this set-up, something niggled. She took her eyes of Eve for a moment.
That was all Eve was waiting for, Cordy was slightly unbalanced for only a second but it was enough. Eve aimed a kick straight for her chest; Cordy managed to twist out of the way but lost the battle with gravity and fell backwards. Eve was on her in an instant.
She literally fell on her with an elbow thrust out, Cordy tensed her stomach muscles but she was not fully back in shape yet. Oh god it hurt, she saw stars and had to struggle not to throw up, she managed to avoid the next blow to the same spot. What was with this woman and body blows?
She jammed an arm out and smashed the heel of her hand up to Eve’s jaw, which snapped shut loud enough to make her think she might have cracked some teeth. Good.
Eve squealed as blood started to pour from her mouth, she’d bitten into her tongue. As Cordy still struggled to recover from the earlier blow, Eve staggered up and ran back to the sideboard. She reached back into the open drawer and withdrew a dark metallic object and pointed it at Cordelia.
Cordy watched frozen as the other woman cocked the weapon, ready for firing
She carefully schooled her expression to keep it calm as she met Eve’s eyes, over the small black gun aiming right between her eyes.
She raised her hands and tried not to look down the black hole of the barrel, silencer attached and all.
“I left a note, people know I’m here”, said Cordy, sounding cool and collected, when she felt anything but. Ignoring as best she could her pounding heart and the awful sinking feeling in her belly
“I doubt Ms Independence would have told anybody in case they tried to get all ‘protective’ on you. No I think your lying” Eve struggled to get the words out of her damaged mouth.
“I think that I can kill you now and get you out of my way, permanently” Her china blue eyes sparkled with rage and malice.
“You are so wrong” said Cordy quietly, she knew her only chance of getting out of here alive was to convince psycho woman that she would not get away with it.
She didn’t doubt that Angel would suspect Eve anyway, but without proof it might only take dumping her in some seedy alley to convince people that she’d been the victim of a mugging or something. Probably the reason for the body blows, less obvious.
“We’ll see” said Eve
Cordy’s cell phone started to ring out, shrill and demanding. Eve lost concentration for a moment and Cordy seeing it, took a risk. She picked up and threw one of the cushions off the couch and thanked god for an accurate aim.
Eve instinctively lifted a hand to protect her face and the gun wavered off target for a few precious seconds. Cordy answered the phone.
She didn’t bother with saying hello or even wait for the caller to identify themselves.
“I’m in Eve’s apartment and she’s got a gun one me”.
Eve stalked towards Cordy, her face screwed up into a caricature of rage, her mouth twisted with it and still oozing blood. She jabbed the weapon so close to Cordy’s face, she couldn’t prevent a flinch from showing.
Eve was undecided; she needed to find out who was on the other end of that call. It had been OK to kill Cordy and dump her before, but now. Dammit who was on the other end, did they matter?
She was about to snatch it away and find out for herself, when Cordy smiled at her and handed it to her anyway.
“I think you’d better take this one”. She pushed the phone closer towards Eve, who had yet to take it, “Your boss wants a word with you”.
Eve went utterly still and backed away a little; keeping the gun out of reach should Cordelia try and take it off her. Hoping it was a trick she took the phone with her free hand. The gun still trained on Cordy.
“Who is this”? She said. The answer had her flushed face turning white.
ANGEL’S OFFICE
Angel was standing behind his desk, leaning with one hand planted on the desk surface, the phone receiver clutched so tightly in the other hand; he had to consciously relax it or risk cracking the plastic.
“Eve, this is Angel”, his knuckles went whiter again “Just shut up and listen to me”. His dark eyes were staring at a spot in front of him but not seeing anything, narrowed to glittering slits. His voice low, furious and deadly.
“If you hurt Cordelia, I promise you that when I’ve finished with you and dumped your broken body in the sewers, it’ll look prettier after rotting for a few weeks.”
He waited a few seconds for it to sink in and then said “I expect to hear Cordelia talking calmly to me as she is walking out of the door unhurt, you got that? If I don’t, your life is over and I’m warning you now do not test me”.
He listened for a moment “Now give the phone back to Cordelia”
EVE’S APARTMENT
“Hi, it’s me again. Yeah I’m leaving now” said Cordy, watching as Eve lowered the gun until it hung at her side and then slumped down to sit on the edge of a chair.
Cordy backed out of the room, the phone still to her ear, keeping an eye on Eve until she had closed the door behind her. The tape in the other hand.
“OK I’m out” She told him. The next minute she winced and had to take the phone away from her ear for second. “Owwwww OK, stop with the yelling I’m not deaf ya know”.
“Look I’ll see you later and explain it then, I promise”
Back inside Eve still hadn’t moved from the chair but was rocking back and forwards her arms hugging her body.
“At least I still have a copy” she whispered to herself, grasping at straws. The videotape wouldn’t do, it wasn’t enough and she was dead anyway if she didn’t make some progress soon.
“I wish I’d never started this, it should have been so easy. It was supposed to have been easy” tears of self-pity stung her eyes.
They’d underestimated him, even before she’d been getting nowhere with him. They’d concentrated on the wrong one, instead of researching the slayer they should have done Cordelia and taken the opportunity when she left to make sure she never came back alive.
As it was she’d gone about it all wrong and now she was going to die, unless she came up with a plan to pave the way for someone else to try and get to the vampire. She knew she’d blown it but if she laid the groundwork well, maybe they would be lenient with her.
She had an idea, it was a long shot but it had worked before. She got shakily to her feet and over to the sideboard again. She needed a messenger who was quick and reliable.
She found the entry she wanted and made a call.
FRED’S OFFICE – WOLFRAM & HART LAB
Fred’s email popped up with a new message. It was an electronic report telling her Eve had placed a call on a certain date and time as well as the number she’d dialled. The same happened with calls Eve made from her office at work and all emails sent from home and work too. Oh the wonders of modern technology.
She smiled and fought the urge to check behind her to see if she was being watched. It was a chess game; she’d guessed Knox checked her emails and so she built electronic walls to stop him. He then found a way around them and she had to build another. This being the case, before they could implement the plan to keep tabs on Eve, they’d had to find a solution.
Finally Wesley had helped her come up with that solution and so far Knox and/or someone else had not been able to breach it yet. To help keep the possibility of being found out less of a risk, only she got the reports and then distributed hard copies to both Angel and Wesley.
ANGEL – AROUND & ABOUT
Once the deadly confrontation between Eve and Cordy had finished and he knew she was safe. Angel pulled Gunn off a case and asked him to stake out Eve’s place.
After hearing what Eve had tried to do to Cordy, he’d been all over that idea, at least once Angel convinced him not to just kill her. He didn’t want her dead yet and definitely not at the hand of any of his people. The senior partners would more than likely take care of that little problem themselves.
The fact was Eve was going nowhere that they wouldn’t know about and they were checking into that call she’d made straight after the confrontation with Cordy.
It made him uneasy, that she’d been feeling chatty enough to call someone after what had happened. He knew he’d frightened her badly, even over the phone he could almost taste it. She was upto something and they needed to find out what. Fred was working on that right now.
He pushed it out of his mind until they knew more, Gunn had Eve under surveillance right this minute and anyway he had made certain Cordy was safe. He’d assigned a surveillance team to watch over her, he knew she wouldn’t be pleased but he needed to know she was safe and it was only until they found whoever this call was made to.
He had an hour or so until he was meeting Cordy at her apartment, but he wanted to get a gift, a sort of welcome back present. She might think it kind of sappy, but it’s not like he got to be sappy very often and he thought she would appreciate it.
He was inside a print shop and professional framers, the guy he’d spoken to had assured him that he could reprint the photograph he’d couriered over earlier both bigger and better than the original and then frame it for hanging.
Angel was paying the guy extra for staying late, he’d used the excuse of being in meetings and could he pick it up at such and such a time. You tell people sunset and they look at you weird, it must be instinct or something.
The shop owner was a middle aged beaming bearded man who chattered non-stop. Angel had to fight an urge to invite the guy to meet Lorne, what a pair they would make. Not that he really minded; the guy was genuinely helpful.
Plus he did a wonderful job, Angel grinned delighted by the quality of the reprint despite the fact that it had been blown up to nearly triple the size. He remembered Cordy insisting on the photograph being taken back during the happier days at the Hotel, with Fred just coming out of her shell and before a pregnant Darla showed up.
It was of the five of them, all huddling next to the counter in a line grinning, pleased to be together. It had taken nearly a whole roll of film as Cordy had insisted on taking numerous shots just in case, considering she had set it on automatic. It was lucky she had, this was the only one that had turned out.
But it had got ripped somehow and it had been one of Cordy’s favourites. Well it was fixed now and fitted to a honey pine frame, it was a rich warm wood and it looked expensive. He didn’t care so long as it beat the cactus.
The shopkeeper asked him if he wanted it gift wrapped and he started to say no, thinking of brown paper but the guy pulled out some pale blue tissue like stuff and royal blue plaited cord. He gave him a charming smile and agreed that would be great.
Angel left the shop with an hour to spare, plenty of time to go and pickup some wine, he knew what she liked. He was just walking back to the car when suddenly; the package was snatched from under his arm. It took him a few seconds to get over the sheer surprise of having something taken off him, which gave the thief a small head start.
After running flat out for nearly ten minutes, Angel finally caught up with the thief in a deserted building hidden behind a bar and pool hall. The noise from it might have drowned out the running footsteps but the smell of his would-be thief was more than enough to keep him on his trail.
This guy was damn fast he would give him that, not to mention a hell of a hard time when he got his hands on him. During the chase he’d seen enough to tell it that whoever it was they were only small, not much bigger than a child, but fast and definitely not human, hence the smell.
The pungent aroma was even stronger when he entered the building and approached the figure crouching near one corner.
“Hey that’s mine” Angel growled at it.
“Mine now” said the figure, it even sounded like a child, petulant and possessive.
It shuffled to the side when he came too close; clutching the package to its body and looking at the vampire out of blinking green eyes the size of saucers. Its skin was almost translucent, a tracery of veins visible all over its skinny face and hands.
Angel sighed deeply and stood over it, assuming an authoritative ‘hands on hips and losing patience’ stance. The demon looked too delicate and childlike for him to consider hurting it. But he was going to get Cordy’s present back no matter what it took.
“I want it back and you are going to give it to me”, he used a booming voice to try and scare it into giving it up.
“I want it” it said back, still holding tight.
“Why” asked Angel frustrated, why me, he thought, this kind of thing doesn’t happen to any other guy trying to get his a girl a gift.
“Cos it’s yours” came the reply, obscure much.
“Do I know you” he asked finally.
“No but I know you, you’re the vampire with a soul”, it gave a little grin, showing small razor sharp teeth that nevertheless looked like they might snap if they bit into something too hard.
“So what, you wanted a souvenir” asked Angel incredulously
“No I wanted you to meet my mother”, it seemed to think that explained everything, NOT.
“Why would you want that” asked Angel feeling he had to play the game to get back what was his, without having to hurt it.
“Cos if my mom kills you, then I’ll can tell all my friends and show them this picture to prove it”.
As reasons go that made no sense whatsoever, was this for real? Angel just stared at the little demon. He could feel his temper rising, he was going to be late if he didn’t get a move on.
Enough was enough, he leaned down to snatch it away “Gimme that” he snarled, vamping out in an attempt to give the demon-child a fright and maybe cause it to turn loose.
He heard a crash then and some pretty serious sounding snarls coming from just in front of them, behind some crates and trash piled high. Looking at it he realised from the way it was organised that this was probably the start of a nest of some kind.
“Mom I presume” he said to the enormous sized creature that came roaring out, leaving a trail of broken boxes and other trash in its wake.
“Wow kid, you’ve got some growing to do yet haven’t you” he said to the evil grinning demon-spawn. Just his luck; he was tonight’s entertainment and trophy to impress pals all rolled into one.
Like hell, he had somewhere to be and better things to do.
He kept his game face on and charged at ‘Mom’, who flipped him onto his back, which wouldn’t have been so bad except it was after throwing him at least twenty feet away. “Owwww”
He got back up and dusted himself off, looking at the creature, searching for weaknesses. He hadn’t come out armed because he had intended on going straight over to Cordy’s apartment and anyway he had a trunk full of weapons. No good to him now though.
The demon apparently lost patience waiting for him to make a move, so it came to him. The only similarities between mom and spawn were the skin and eyes. The teeth on this thing gave even him pause and as for being delicate, he was only surprised the floor didn’t shake with each ponderous step.
That was one thing in his favour, she wasn’t exactly nimble on her feet, or whatever was hidden under the baggy clothes and bindings strips that covered where the feet would be.
He hefted up a wooden crate upto his chest and let it loose at her head, it hit with a resounding crash and the wood splintered around the things face. It shook the pieces loose and swiped the rest away, but it was bleeding, no tough hide on this one then. Good.
He looked around for some kind of sharp object but came up with nothing, then he was out of time and had to just throw a punch, dodging the smashing blow it aimed at his own head. It staggered back a little and he threw another one and then another, left and then right fisted, driving it back.
He backed off as it stood shaking its meaty head as if trying to clear the ringing, he knew how that felt. He took a step forward and then spun on his heel, bringing his other foot around in an arc to land a powerful kick, sending it crashing sideways back into its nest of trash.
“Stop it, stop it” cried a voice next to him, the little demon clung onto his leg and wouldn’t shake loose even when he tried to kick it of him.
“Here have your stupid picture, just leave my mom alone” it said tearfully, running to the fallen demon and kneeling down next to it.
Angel had the wrapped picture in his hand, he lifted up to the light, it was OK. He turned to leave, Mom would be OK, it was just stunned, he was done here.