Part II<\/b><\/p>\n
\u2018Strange Relations\u2019<\/i><\/p>\n
The sun looked brighter this morning. Its iridescent rays beaming over the city felt just a little warmer, the enveloping warmth comforting tired bones and soothing confused thoughts. Lindsey wasn\u2019t surprised to discover birds were chirping a harmonious melody amidst the hustle and bustle of pencil-pushers and laborers scurrying to their destinations. No, his revelation was realizing he\u2019d never taken the time to listen.<\/p>\n
He found himself standing in front of a small coffee shop. It wasn\u2019t one of those mainstream chains with their pretentious array of forty-two flavors. The small shop was quaint; its energy conjured by patrons friendly and familiar. She would like this. The silent thought glimmered, awakening a carefully hidden part of him. One that the underbelly of his world would label a weakness.<\/p>\n
Lindsey stepped inside, the move only briefly calculated. A genuine smile greeted his entry; a grandmotherly woman calling out. \u201cPull up a stool, I just brought out a fresh batch of muffins.\u201d<\/p>\n
Even niceties have knee-jerk reactions. Only a few seconds of hesitation and he returned the smile. \u201cI\u2019ll take two and two coffees to go please. Then recalling an important, if nauseating, tidbit of information quickly added, \u201cCould you sprinkle a little cinnamon on top?\u201d<\/p>\n
Cordelia had tended the vampire\u2019s needs, a memory that made Lindsey\u2019s blood curdle inside his veins. She had bandaged his wounds, such as they were. The injuries had been superficial at best, already healing before her tender ministrations began. Then she had warmed Angel\u2019s blood, sprinkling the cup of red swill with a generous douse of cinnamon.<\/p>\n
***<\/p>\n
Back slouched and head buried inside his book, Angel dozed while vampire senses remained perceptive to threatening activity that may intrude on their day. Having followed Cordelia around for the better part of the night, he was running on zero sleep. Angel had to admit, her date had ended earlier than he\u2019d expected. Remaining on her balcony until sunrise sent him running for cover was purely a precautionary measure.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have a lunch date. You two can hold down the fort until I get back; right?\u201d<\/p>\n
Angel\u2019s eyes snapped open. This clearly qualified as an intruding threat. \u201cYou just had a date. Why do you need another one?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t need <\/i>another one. I want <\/i>another one. Lindsey is fun to have around\u2026once you get past that whole evil thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cExactly.\u201d Nap forgotten, Angel leaped from his chair. A few quick strides and he towered over the source of his frustrations. \u201cThe guy is evil. Dangerous even.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSays the man that tried to eat me once.\u201d Cordelia was hardly paying attention. Engrossed in more important matters; namely her, she scrutinized her reflection. Hair, perfect. Makeup, perfect. Outfit, gorgeous. Cordelia was, in a word, perfectly gorgeous.<\/p>\n
Thoughts drifted to an earlier time, and the graveyard in question. Angelus had tackled Cordelia, trapping her beneath him. \u201cCordelia, I wasn\u2019t going to eat you. I was\u2026\u201d That wouldn\u2019t help his cause, disproving plans to eat the young woman by admitting intentions to ravage her. \u201c\u2026never mind.\u201d<\/p>\n
His head jerked to the door, growling as Lindsey\u2019s odorous invasion seeped inside only seconds before his physical intrusion followed.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfternoon.\u201d Lindsey greeted, offering a satisfied smile and his simple but well-planned gift to Cordelia. \u201cSweets for my sweet little kitten.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOh goody, goodies. And yummy, cinnamon coffee. You might just be a keeper.\u201d<\/p>\n
Flattered by the attention, Cordelia flirted, batting long lashes at her admirer, and Angel\u2019s blood boiled with a molten fury that threatened to melt his veins. At least she hadn\u2019t purred at the little kitten comment. If Cordelia purred for Lindsey, Angel would have no choice but to rip off the man\u2019s head. Only death and maiming could appease this level of rage, and as nauseating as the scene would be, Angel wished Cordelia would purr.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet\u2019s take these with us. We can have lunch in the park.\u201d Oblivious to the threat looming over her date, Cordelia grabbed her purse, motioning a jabbing finger to the door. \u201cSee you guys later.\u201d<\/p>\n
Coming out of nowhere, a large hand seized her arm, and Cordelia shrieked as Angel hauled her toward his office. \u201cWhat the-\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to talk.\u201d Angle practically slung Cordelia into his office then turned back to deliver a growled and final warning. \u201cLindsey, this may take awhile. If you\u2019re on a tight schedule, don\u2019t feel the need to wait.\u201d<\/p>\n
The door slammed and Cordelia exploded. \u201cHave you completely lost it? Angel, get out of my way. I have a date.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, you don\u2019t.\u201d Angel\u2019s jaw was clinched tight, and gold flecks rimmed dark, murky eyes, but this time the dire strait of their predicament was discerningly clear to Cordelia. \u201cI\u2019m going to talk, and you\u2019re going to stay quiet and listen.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cordelia\u2019s eyelids fluttered, her head falling into a frantic shake and rattle. Angel had just told her to shut up. It might have been delivered a notch above crude, but even nice wrapping paper left a mess on the floor.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou did not just-\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou are not dating Lindsey MacDonald. Are we clear?\u201d<\/p>\n
Direct, and to the point. That was Angel\u2019s motto when confronted with uncomfortable situations. Yanking off the bandage was always better than drawn-out and painful tugs. Now their lives would get back to normal. Cordelia would occasionally date as long as Angel approved of her choice, and off-color fantasies would remain under the dark cover of sleep where they belonged.<\/p>\n
The Waterbury mantel clock whizzed by his head in its flight across the room. Angel ducked, quickly regretting not catching the well-preserved heirloom when his prized piece smashed against the wall.<\/p>\n
The two men waited impatiently, bodies involuntarily flinching and fencing. They were uncommon adversaries, their current plight drawing them into a small circle of camaraderie. Voices dueled inside the locked room, rising octaves resonating above colliding sounds of crash and shatter.<\/p>\n
Suddenly peaceful silence fell, and the bystanders cringed as eerie calm engulfed their shrinking periphery of cordiality. The door swung open, Cordelia leading the way. Her hair was mussed, lipstick smeared over a mouth twisted in aggravation and defiance. Angel followed close behind, one sleeve ripped from his shirt. Head tilted back, he held the scrap of fabric wadded inside a hand pressed to his nose. Tiny splotches of blood trickled down the vampire\u2019s chin, and Wesley briefly pondered just how necessary the slayer-line was.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou ready to go?\u201d Cordelia hissed, snatching her purse from the floor. Too angry to care, she missed her reluctant date\u2019s apprehensive wince.<\/p>\n
Lindsey\u2019s original intentions had been self-serving and heartless, until a span of mere hours had resulted in total captivation. His plans of sticking it to Angel still trailed a clear path, but hurting Cordelia in the process was now unthinkable.<\/p>\n
\u201cWesley, I won\u2019t be back today.\u201d The seething sibilation erupted into the brief silence pulling Lindsey from his thoughts and jolting Wesley\u2019s tentative composure. \u201cI\u2019ll decide about tomorrow\u2026well tomorrow.\u201d Cordelia swirled around, anger too raw to bother with a pleasant guise. \u201cStop dawdling. Jeez, the fights over people, nothing to see here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cordelia marched into the hallway, Lindsey obediently trailing behind. He turned at the last minute, delivering a smugly priggish smile, the thrill of his triumph falling short of its promised victory.<\/p>\n
Angel stood rigid, every muscle taut and stretched to the limit, his bloody sleeve clutched in the hand hanging at his side. A whisper of a nod acknowledged Lindsey\u2019s challenge, an exchange that avowed only one victor.<\/p>\n
Whatever the culmination from their unsettling brawl, Cordelia was content to flee, and more surprising, Angel was content to allow it. Wesley needed to offer his friend some semblance of assurance, but risking round two was out of the question. He cautiously studied Angel\u2019s demeanor from the corner of his eye then crept to the door, peaking around the corner.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you actually think Cordelia would leave us?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
The growl came in a wave of hot air, bristling the hair at the nape of Wesley\u2019s neck. His fingers clamped onto the doorjamb as his back stiffened against the blistery surge.<\/p>\n
\u201cAngel?\u201d<\/p>\n
Lifting upright, Wesley spun around as Angel stepped into the elevator. His torn shirt shredding as hands fisted and yanked. Muscles clinched in tension and glistening under a layer of sweat disappeared behind a swoosh of metal doors.<\/p>\n