Chapter 2<\/b><\/p>\n
Angel entered the apartment surprised to see Wesley stretched out on the sofa reading the newspaper and drinking tea. \u201cTaking a break?\u201d Angel asked looking around for Cordelia, disappointed not finding her.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes a break, of sorts,\u201d Wesley answered without looking up from his newspaper.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere\u2019s Cordelia?\u201d So much for her understanding she\u2019s not to go out at night alone. Maybe she\u2019s not alone.<\/i> \u201cWes, where\u2019s Cordy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s taking a bath. We thought we might get a bite to eat, maybe take in a movie. That is if we can agree on something that won\u2019t make me wish to be deaf and blind.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cordelia was going out with Wes. \u201cOh, a night of fun sounds good. I understand you guys need to take a break from all the research. So what can you tell me about The Hyperion?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat can you tell us?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHuh?\u201d Angel spun around to face his inquisitor. Skin still damp from the steam of her bath, her fingers tugged through long tendrils of wet hair working out the stubborn tangles.<\/p>\n
Cordelia ignored Angel\u2019s weird, dork-like stare stepping around him to the table piled with clippings and printouts from their day\u2019s work. She had worked up quite a steam of her own while bathing. Less than twenty-four hours ago Angel had professed himself her champion, committed himself as her protector and now the hermit vampire was backpedaling. Cordelia lifted a folder; the one that contained what she was sure represented only a handful of his two and a half centuries of secrets.<\/p>\n
\u201cHere,\u201d she said reaching the folder out, \u201cthis is probably what you\u2019re looking for. 1952 seems to have been an interesting year, well interesting if you\u2019re into murder ala helter-skelter.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thinking it best to ignore Cordelia’s agitation for the moment, Angel took
\nthe offered folder. Sitting down in one of the empty chairs at the table he placed the still securely locked satchel at his feet. Opening the folder, he skimmed its contents lingering on the newspaper headlines and various photos, spying a rarely seen face in the background of one. His gaze trailed up to look into Cordelia\u2019s face, which earned him an \u201cumph\u201d before she stormed into the kitchen.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy are you so upset?\u201d Angel asked rising up and dumping the folder and its too familiar reminders back onto the table before stomping after her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy am I upset? I\u2019ll tell you why I\u2019m upset.\u201d The juice carton hit the counter so hard the liquid sloshed from its open spout spilling onto the countertop. \u201cWesley and I spent all afternoon researching that old hotel\u2019s history and you could have just told us, if you trusted us enough that is.\u201d Her accusation finished Cordelia wiped up the sticky mess with jerky smacks of a paper towel before returning the juice to the refrigerator having never poured it into her glass.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry if I upset you,\u201d Angel declared as he began to pace the short length of the kitchen. \u201cBut have you considered there might be things that happened in that hotel that I don\u2019t want you to know about?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDuh,\u201d Cordelia answered as they met passing each other in their rigid pace.<\/p>\n
\u201cDuh, what does that mean?\u201d Angel demanded stopping short. Asking was not necessary since her refusal to answer wasn\u2019t going to be an option.<\/p>\n
Cordelia swung to the right mid pace to prevent their collision sending Angel another bite me or burn in hell glare. He couldn\u2019t be sure which only knew which one he would accommodate.<\/p>\n
Stepping aside to give room to the waving accusations of her arms Cordelia swished her hands at Angel\u2019s face. \u201cIt means Angel we\u2019re only a team if you don\u2019t have to share.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI share with you\u2026both of you\u2026all the time and get your hands out of my face.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPfftt, you do not. Tell him Wesley, tell him,\u201d Cordelia insisted jabbing her finger at the man as though she needed to point out her required compliance.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell I\u2026you see,\u201d Wesley stuttered. His legs still stretched out he had pulled himself upright on the sofa staring over the back at his two arguing and pacing partners. \u201cYou see Angel; perhaps you should\u2026sometimes you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGees Wesley spit it out. No wonder you kiss like a fish. One uncomfortable confrontation and you go belly up.\u201d Cordelia snipped, providing Wesley with his own foot stomp.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell excuse me for choosing my words carefully.\u201d Wesley sheepishly defended. He hadn\u2019t been thrilled about the idea of this confrontation from its conception and now that his kissing skills were being questioned he was against the idea entirely.<\/p>\n
\u201cChoose your words, did you pick any?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s not important right now Cordelia, focus.\u201d Another demand issued, Angel\u2019s voice more harsh than Cordelia could remember being directed at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re right; why won\u2019t you-\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow do you know Wesley kisses like a fish?\u201d Angel asked surprised that his third demand would tempt Wesley to leap in wailed denial.<\/p>\n
\u201cI do not kiss like a fish. Cordelia you take that back\u2026and I am waiting for an apology.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWait all you want Wesley, wait for pigs to fly if you want an apology. I have bigger things to worry about\u2026like having two idiots for partners.\u201d Cordelia wasn\u2019t sure what they were arguing about anymore, she only knew Cordelia Chase would not be the yoyo at the end of this vampire\u2019s string.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy are we discussing Wesley\u2019s fish kisses?\u201d Cordelia asked, her pace becoming heavier and more erratic as her temper flared higher.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause you brought it up.\u201d The two men cried out in unison.<\/p>\n
\u201cAarrrgggg,\u201d Cordelia screamed, pots and pans rattling as Dennis joined in her frustration. \u201cLook the kiss doesn\u2019t matter, it was just the one time when we thought the mayor was gonna eat us. It was bad, worse than being on the menu even and it never happened again.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWell except that one time when I first arrive in LA.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOh yea, I forget about that.\u201d Anger and pacing were temporarily set aside as Cordelia and Wesley reminisced his arrival and their experimental vision dispensing kiss. \u201cThat one was definitely better.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat the hell do you two do when I\u2019m not around?\u201d Was this one harsher than harsh? Cordelia guessed it was since Angel\u2019s voice sounded like heavy grit sandpaper being scrubbed bare as it scraped off the first layer of steel.<\/p>\n
\u201cBesides research,\u201d Cordelia asked putting quotation marks in the air. \u201cAnd let me just say while we\u2019re on the subject of research and kissing, if being left behind to research with Wesley was an aphrodisiac I\u2019d be a freakin\u2019 nymphomaniac by now.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWh–at,\u201d the word nearly choking inside his throat as it battled a stifled growl. What are you talking about, being left behind? When do I leave you behind and since when is researching with Wesley an aphrodisiac?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTry all the time.\u201d Her voice mimicked and flaunted. Cordelia was beyond angry now, she was pissed. \u2018Cordy you stay here and help Wes research the gray blobby, purple oozy thing while I track and kill it\u2019. Would it kill you to just once ask me if I\u2019d like to join in the maiming and killing?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo now you want to fight demons; is that it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNoooo, but it\u2019d be nice if you asked once in a while and researching with Wesley is not an aphrodisiac. God Angel digress much; we\u2019re not you and Buffy patrolling in a graveyard.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cordelia was pretty sure some steam might have puffed from reddened ears. She saw the jaw clinch to a crushing tightness and wondered if this was a prelude to fangs and bumpy forehead.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m gonna let that little snark slide because we have more important issues to deal with right now but bite at the wrong thing again sweetheart and I\u2019ll demonstrate what punishment is.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sharp fangs and bumpy-uglies be damned. Did Angel just threaten to punishment her for bad behavior? What were they now, father and daughter, priest and wayward sinner, more like dumb-ass and good samaritan.<\/p>\n
Cordelia felt static air prick her flesh, Dennis rushing to her defense. Swatting a hand at the non-visual she sliced through the electrical charge buzzing a perimeter around her personal space. Queen C didn\u2019t need it, she would show this dracula reject just what a real bite was.<\/p>\n
\u201cBastard,\u201d the single word trilled from her wrenching chest spilling into the room. Stinging tears much too loose for an audience trailed close behind. Queen C sucked into the emotional oblivion that was her life, Cordelia fled to the one sanctuary left in her overrun apartment.<\/p>\n
Eyes snapped shut. The buzzing stopped but his ears were still ringing haunted by the shrill of her bastard inflicted wound. He had allowed their petty argument to escalate beyond control and now he had hurt her and wasn\u2019t sure how to make it right. If he was going to fix this he had to first figure out what they were fighting about and he had lost that particular focal point shortly after stepping through the door.<\/p>\n
The slam echoed across the void sending a vibrating swoosh past his form. Angel cringed hearing the tinkling rattle of her precious glass menagerie. His eyes fluttered open falling on the salt and pepper shakers nestled beside the bumblebee sugar bowl. Keen sight picked up the slight residue of sticky goo left behind by hastily wiped juice. The scene had been altered, he blinked, and still not right he blinked again. This view had been obstructed only seconds earlier by innocence and acceptance wrapped in layers of heat and energy and perfectly proportioned feminine wiles.<\/p>\n
Cordelia had taken refuge in the one place Angel could not follow. The sunlight wouldn\u2019t do it and as a smart girl would, Cordelia knew the threat of sun and flames did not outweigh need embellished by anger.<\/p>\n
Shoulders hunched in defeat Angel turned to the securely closed bedroom door. He didn\u2019t need to feel the snap of electron charged air to know Dennis stood between him and the off-limits door.<\/p>\n
\u201cWes what the hell just happened here?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWell Angel,\u201d Wesley sat up swinging his legs to the floor finishing off his upright position with a slap to his knees. \u201cI believe in 1952 you deemed it prudent to reside at The Hyperion and later you went to hell, quite literally I might add. Now you live in LA with Cordelia Chase and well, should your current lodging require any filling in of the blanks I think that would best be done in private. I believe I will take my leave now, maybe get a bite to eat, possibly even take in a show and if I\u2019m lucky\u2026I\u2019ll go deaf and blind. Goodnight Angel.\u201d<\/p>\n
His jacket draped across his arm, Wesley walked quietly to the door. He had said all he had to say about the matter. Leaving the two to work out what he considered a subject best left in the dark Wesley pulled the door shut behind his exit.<\/p>\n
This isn\u2019t hell. Hell was a sad excuse compared to this. This is the evil place he had been warned of in his youth by crotchety, old priests hell-bent that every sinner would live in fear of its existence. This is limbo, this is purgatory. That place where heaven is an awareness never seen and definitely never touched. Where the shackles of hell hold you in place teasing you with fiery strokes never letting you burn to ash.<\/p>\n
Calm, keep your voice calm.<\/i> \u201cCordelia open the door so we can talk.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGo away Angel, it\u2019s obvious that us and talking do not go together.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s ridiculous, us and talking go fine together.\u201d calm, calm-calm-calm.<\/i> \u201cNow why don\u2019t you come out; I\u2019m really not comfortable talking to you while you\u2019re in your bedroom.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a remedy for that Angel, stop talking.\u201d<\/p>\n
Screw calm.<\/i> \u201cCordelia stop acting like a spoiled brat!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSpoiled brat?\u201d The door shook and Angel was certain it was because Cordelia\u2019s foot had made hard contact with the lower end.<\/p>\n
\u201cOK be like that, I on the other hand will take the more mature road and wait for you to act like the mature, young woman I know you are.\u201d Angel went to sofa. Sitting down he sprang back up before his bottom hit the cushion. \u201cDamn it Cordelia, I\u2019m gonna count to ten and if you\u2019re not out of there I will break down the door.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anger followed by a countdown was followed by the twist of the doorknob. \u201cFine, if you\u2019re gonna pull the caveman antics I\u2019ll come out.\u201d Cordelia stepped from her private seclusion eyes red, the taste of salty moisture in the air. \u201cSee I\u2019m out; now leave before I say something that might be remotely unflattering about your precious\u2026\u201d After a quick review Cordelia decided a bite to the tongue would hurt less than another round with Angel. \u201cAngel just go.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not leaving; Cordelia I don\u2019t even know what we\u2019re fighting about anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWell I don\u2019t either. I mean one minute we\u2019re talking about you not sharing and suddenly Wesley\u2019s a fish and I\u2019m fighting demons.\u201d Rambling stopped Cordelia shook her head trying to stop the tears before they could spill again.<\/p>\n
Angel closed the distance between them gently grasping her upper arms. \u201cCordy, listen to me, I don\u2019t want you fighting. I can\u2019t risk you being hurt and I don\u2019t think that\u2019s something worth arguing about anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not and I don\u2019t want to fight demons.\u201d Cordelia admitted leaning her head down to rest against Angel\u2019s chest. \u201cI would\u2026sniff-snort-sniff\u2026if I needed to but I don\u2019t want to.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s good \u2018cause I don\u2019t want you to.\u201d Angel soothed resting his chin atop her head of damp hair that was becoming a bit unruly.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere\u2019s Wesley?\u201d Cordelia asked between sniffs.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe mumbled something about being hungry and then about going deaf and blind if he watched a movie.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPfftt, he\u2019s by himself, he can watch whatever he wants, the melodramatic geek.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHey when I first got here, before all the yelling, Wes told me you guys were going out for dinner. Do you still want to go out? We\u2019ll even catch a movie if you want.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cordelia finally lifted her head but only so Angel could see her disbelieving eye roll. \u201cWhat, I can be brave; I am you\u2019re champion you know.\u201d<\/p>\n
And there it was again, her champion. Suddenly Angel wasn\u2019t the guy shutting her out of his life and threatening her for trashing the big love of his life. Now he\u2019s her champion\u2026again. Cordelia wanted off, Angel\u2019s tilt-a-world ride was making her seasick. \u201cThanks but I\u2019m really not in the mood to go out. I think I\u2019ll just turn in early.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWell then how about we have something delivered. We\u2019ll eat, maybe watch a little TV and talk. Then we\u2019ll get a good night\u2019s sleep and tomorrow we\u2019ll discuss what happened at The Hyperion when I stayed there. How does that sound?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFine if that\u2019s what you want but I don\u2019t want you feeling like I forced you and if we\u2019re eating in I want chinese.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t, now go wash your face and I\u2019ll take care of the rest.\u201d He slipped his fingers under her chin lifting her face to his. \u201cCordy,\u201d Angel whispered. Lost were the words that would break the moment and he touched his lips to her forehead. It was brief, barely a brush of cool lips to warm skin. It was innocent, two friends ending an argument that should have never happened. Cordelia smiled, then stepped away breaking the moment.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, and we can\u2019t discuss that old hotel or anything else remotely related to work without Wesley. The man gets his panties in a wad over the least little thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wes and panties, that image will haunt me for days.<\/i><\/p>\n
***<\/p>\n
He was prepared to use his key but hearing the almost silent turn of lock and knob the key dropped back into his pocket. The apartment was dark and quiet. The door closing of its own accord, well mostly, Wesley leaned against the solid surface giving his eyes time to adjust. A sliver of moonlight found its way through a narrow gap in fabric casting a misty halo around the two sleeping bodies nestled on the sofa.<\/p>\n
\u201cWes,\u201d the voice was low, not soft tenderness but sleep disrupted gruff. The vampire was slouched on the sofa\u2019s end, his long legs stretched out with his sleeping partner\u2019s head cradled in his lap.<\/p>\n
Angel instinctively took Cordelia\u2019s upper arm in a tender grip. The meaning of the protective display not missed by their observer. Wesley reviewed his notes from anatomy 101. The hand had not risen from Angel\u2019s side where it would have come into view from behind the curve of Cordelia\u2019s hip but had slid up the contours of slender, shapely legs.<\/p>\n
\u201cAngel,\u201d Wesley finally answered, not sure he had been directed a question. \u201cMy injuries were acting up a bit and being nearer here than my own flat I thought I would take refuge on Cordelia\u2019s sofa. At this late hour I had assumed Cordelia would be asleep in her bed and you would be\u2026elsewhere. I see I was mistaken.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe must have fallen asleep watching TV.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tired feet shuffled toward the lamp. With a simple click a small but adequate glow lit his path. Wesley looked to the TV screen, silent and dark and then to his friend\u2019s vacant face, \u201cI see.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll take Cordelia to be-ed, so you can have the sofa.\u201d In a smooth rise Angel straightened his hulking mass lifting the young woman like the weight of a small child. Without a word he turned and slipped into the adjacent room content once again in its cover of darkness.<\/p>\n
Wesley watched from the doorway as the bedcovers lifted, Dennis and his not so invisible doting waiting for Angel to slip Cordelia inside. Her body eased onto the mattress with little disturbance and blankets rolled forward stopped by the vampire\u2019s firm but gentle grasp.<\/p>\n
Wesley hadn\u2019t missed how the word had choked in Angel\u2019s throat and wondered as he watched the two tuck the blanket around Cordelia\u2019s sleeping form if the vampire and the ghost realized the futility of their desires. Wondered if the young woman was confronted by this revelation, would she embrace it or run screaming into the night. But for now, Wesley was content Cordelia had no such knowledge and neither would-be suitor was prepared to challenge that particular naivet\u00e9. So Wesley would be the martyr; experience had taught him that choices were seldom unrestrictive. In light of their circumstances, only one choice could be acceptable.<\/p>\n
\u201cAngel, I\u2019m sure Dennis will make sure Cordelia is taken care of. You should leave Dennis to what he does best.\u201d Wesley watched the vampire\u2019s shoulders droop. Regret and defeat were a burdensome weight and many men buckled under that burden.<\/p>\n
The back of his fingers brushed down her cheek, tucking the loose strands of hair behind her ear. His spine became rigid pulling him from his lingering hover and he swept from the room grabbing his coat as he approached the outer door. \u201cGoodnight Wes,\u201d Angel whispered as the door closed behind him.<\/p>\n
***<\/p>\n
Cordelia exited her bedroom with her arms stretched into the air. Her lips expanded in a wide-mouth yawn adjusted its shape into a happy smile when she spied Wesley lounging on the sofa. \u201cGood morning Wesley.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGood Morning Cordelia, sleep well?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYea and now I\u2019m hungry, where\u2019s Angel?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe went out a little after midnight, hasn\u2019t returned yet.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh\u2026well Angel\u2019s been sun intolerant for a long time, he knows to be careful. So anybody hungry?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPity Dennis can\u2019t cook, then you\u2019d have practically everything a woman wants in a man.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDennis is pretty well rounded for a\u2026you know, and he\u2019s not likely to cheat on me either.\u201d Cordelia instinctively rubbed the scarred reminder through her pajama top. She wasn\u2019t sure why that particular memory called for attention.<\/p>\n
\u201cCordelia is something wrong?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo just thinking back to how things used to be. You know, I was a little ditzy back in Sunnydale-OK a lot ditzy. OK fine, I was one ditzy bitch, but I could have had any man I wanted.\u201d Cordelia pressed her index finger against her bottom lip staring at the friend. \u201cYou know Wesley back in the day you thought I was beautiful.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, I\u2026You\u2019re an extraordinary young woman but I\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRelax Wesley we\u2019re just having a stroll down memory lane. Don\u2019t get bunched up or we\u2019ll have to buy more stewed prunes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCordelia!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPfftt, how bad can it be if mushy fruit is the answer? I\u2019m talking about the important stuff, life changing stuff. Like now that we\u2019re in the superhero club the best action I can get is a ghost who\u2019s good with the loohfah and God Wes, you don\u2019t even get that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho\u2019s doing what with the Loofah?\u201d Angel asked sensing the slight cringe from Wesley and Cordelia.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot Loofah, Looh-fah Nooctm…Skumth. It’s a demon.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou had a vision?\u201d Angel asked, mild suspicion quickly turning to mid-level panic.<\/p>\n
\u201cNope, vision free. So, you went with the dark clothes today. That\u2019s always a good choice\u2026as in didn\u2019t really have to choose, just reached in and grabbed a hanger. So, who\u2019s hungry?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCordelia keeps throwing subtle hints for someone to cook breakfast. I was just about to concede but luckily Angel, you arrived in the nick of time.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOK breakfast duty it is, you want omelets or pancakes?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCan I have just scrambled, like we used to at the old office? Wait does just scrambled give me time to shower?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTwenty minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTwenty minutes? How can a girl make herself beautiful in twenty minutes?\u201d Cordelia performed a fashion model turn and spin. \u201cOh, I\u2019m already beautiful. Twenty minutes it is.\u201d<\/p>\n
***<\/p>\n
Shower accomplished in record time, eggs had been scrambled and eaten. Discussion of the past followed by question and answer time was well underway.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo you just walked away?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYea.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWell Angel, it was a rather emotional time. I mean a Thesulac demon can be very overwhelming to one\u2019s psyche even for a vampire.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYea big guy you were lucky to get out of there with body and soul intact.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cProbably.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo probably, those people killed you. It doesn\u2019t matter that you didn\u2019t actually die, again.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut they couldn\u2019t control what they were doing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd neither could you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI guess you\u2019re right.\u201d Angel admitted relieved to feel the past slipping further into its dark shadow with each encouragement. Cordelia had been right, which seemed to be the trend lately. He should have told them about his experience in the hotel. Relief would have come a lot sooner.<\/p>\n
\u201cGuess! Have you learned nothing? Of course I\u2019m right.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now for the hard part, Cordelia contemplated her strategy carefully. Her usual snark and snarp wasn\u2019t going to get her what she wanted. \u201cSo, creepy hotel, hoowee scary. Guess we\u2019re still doing the office and apartment hunt thingy. Don\u2019t worry big guy, we\u2019ll find something.\u201d Cordelia reached across the table\u2019s corner giving Angel\u2019s shoulder a few reassuring pats.<\/p>\n
\u201cActually, I was hoping we could move in this week.\u201d Cordelia\u2019s eyes snapped up, her vision clouding as they glazed over.<\/p>\n
I should have shown her the money first.<\/i> Reacting swiftly Angel attempted to pull in an ally for his endeavor. \u201cWes, maybe you could check out our chances of leasing the place. You know, figure out the move in cost and whatever else we need to know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course, I\u2019ll get right on it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wes is so easy.<\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cBut perhaps it\u2019s best to first determine if Cordelia will be requiring resuscitation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Damn, so close.<\/i> \u201cCordelia, you all right? Say something.\u201d Angel considered giving her a shake but was afraid she\u2019d spin off her chair if he touched her.<\/p>\n
What just happened? I was cute, adorable even.<\/i> Cordelia gave her head a quick shake. Convincing Angel he didn\u2019t want to move into hotel hell would be harder if she couldn\u2019t see him. \u201cUh, Angel you know fixing that place up is going to take money. Now I know we have the insurance, which I suggested by the way-which isn\u2019t what\u2019s important.\u201d Her arms slipped off the table, hands firmly attaching to hipbones in subtle disagreement. \u201cBut it is worth mentioning.\u201d<\/p>\n
Money\u2026she\u2019s mine.<\/i> \u201cWell I have a little something that might help with that, kind of a silver lining in a dark cloud thing.\u201d Angel announced rising from the chair but holding back his smug grin until he\u2019d turned toward the closet.<\/p>\n
\u201cHear that Wesley, silver lining. Do you think the emphasis was on silver?\u201d Cordelia asked her eyes clear and saucer-wide as she gave Wesley a swat across his arm.<\/p>\n
Wesley stretched in his chair, his stomach uncomfortably full from the second helping of eggs and buttered toast. \u201cI would think it unlikely that Angel stumbled across a silver mine in downtown LA.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a child, and I\u2019m taking a leap here that you were one, did you ever do anything just because it was fun?\u201d<\/p>\n
Wesley\u2019s mouth fell open but nothing came out. Cordelia deserved a biting retort, he just needed to come up with one.<\/p>\n
\u201cUh guys,\u201d Angel interrupted to Wesley\u2019s relief. Now he\u2019d have more time to deliberate on a well planned, cutting response. \u201cIn here,\u201d Angel continued holding up the satchel like a kid to be envied by all for his one of a kind toy.<\/p>\n
Angel heading for the couch instead of returning to the table, Cordelia and Wesley scrambled to be the first to follow. \u201cLadies first, besides you don\u2019t want to risk hitting a bruised rib on my elbow.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf there were a lady present I would certainly conduct myself as a gentlemen.\u201d Ha, take that.<\/i> \u201cOuch, you did that on purpose.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid not you big baby.\u201d<\/p>\n
Angel quietly observed the childish banter but this time there wasn\u2019t any nagging irritation. Cordelia could bring out the child even in a stuffed shirt like Wes, Angel mused with a smile. If snappy dialogue failed, she had no problem using a jab to the gut.<\/p>\n
Angel flipped the lock allowing the satchel to open before turning it upside. The contents thumped against the floor scattering at their feet.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh my God. Am I dreaming? Somebody pinch me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGladly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOW! You did that hard on purpose.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid not.\u201d Wesley mocked Cordelia\u2019s tease pleasantly surprised he wasn\u2019t embarrassed by his behavior.<\/p>\n
\u201cGuys\u2026look at what I\u2019ve got. The excitement is over here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Did Angel just gyrate his hips? Good Lord this has been a strange twenty-four hours.<\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cAngel how-where-is it ours?\u201d Cordelia finally asked dropping to her knees to get closer to the pile of banded money.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s an interesting question Angel. Where did you get\u2026all this?\u201d Wesley asked extending a sweep of his hand and returning to his usual mode of composed and analytical.<\/p>\n
\u2018Uh, Judy, the girl I told you about. She stole it from her employer.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI see,\u201d was Wesley\u2019s reply accompanied by the lift of a questioning brow.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a long story. Do you want me to tell you about it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNope,\u201d Cordelia piped up from the floor scooping up bundles into her folded arms. \u201cNot unless she wants it back. She doesn\u2019t want it back, does she?\u201d Cordelia asked, the dread of that possibility rattling in her voice.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, it\u2019s ours,\u201d Angel assured as he settled on the couch making sure his boots safely hung over the edge when he stretched his legs across the coffee table.<\/p>\n
Cordelia hunched forward to wipe a palm across her forehead unwilling to release her stash, \u201cwhew that\u2019s a relief. Here Wesley,\u201d she reached up with a fistful, \u201cdon\u2019t you want to touch it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, perhaps later,\u201d Wesley declined with a grin taking a seat on the opposite end of the couch.<\/p>\n
The two men sat back watching the odd but entertaining show. \u201cYou know if it was just me and Dennis I\u2019d roll around in it naked.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCordelia, really.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOh put a sock it Wesley. It\u2019s been a long time. A long, long time. I\u2019m going to enjoy this and you are not going to mess it up with your stuffy butt attitude.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cordelia\u2019s eyes had glazed again and Angel was mesmerized by the energy. He was going to enjoy this moment. It was a good moment and he was taking credit for it. The prickling of his neck caused by Wesley\u2019s analytic watcher\u2019s stare was not going to ruin it.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverything is fine Wes. Things just got a little confusing last night. That\u2019s all. I had a long walk and did a lot of soul searching. I just needed to get some perspective.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI hope you\u2019re right Angel.\u201d Sincerity was clear but Angel didn\u2019t miss the equal match of uncertainty.<\/p>\n
\u201cA week ago Cordelia was locked inside a world of insanity. People hurt her because she was with me.\u201d Angel pointed to the young woman temporarily lost in her childhood days of indulgence. \u201cLook at her Wes. This can\u2019t be a bad thing. It can\u2019t be\u2026\u201d Angel\u2019s voice trailed off as his attention drifted back to Cordelia. Stretched out on her stomach, her giggles filled the apartment as Dennis showered her with thousand dollar bills.<\/p>\n