Sunnydale High School Library<\/i><\/p>\n
Angel paced like a caged panther across the tile floor of the library his dark clothes and the sinewy graceful moves adding to the impression. To the counter one way, completing an efficient turn and stalking to the steps. Back and forth moving in a steady pace and not bothering to take notice of the eyes staring in his direction or the conversations going on because of it.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s weird,\u201d Buffy scowled as she watched Angel pacing. Normally, he was so still that they barely noticed his presence in the room. She sat on top of the table as they waited for Giles to start the meeting. Only her watcher appeared otherwise occupied as well.<\/p>\n
Elbowing Willow, she nodded in the direction of the main desk where Giles and Jenny were standing supposedly talking, but really making goo-goo eyes at each other. The redhead muttered, \u201cAngel\u2019s not the only weird one.\u201d<\/p>\n
Buffy was still a little irritated with Jenny Calendar. She was torn between being very grateful that Ms Calendar had restored Angel\u2019s soul, especially permanently, and the anger that still welled up whenever she realized the teacher had been in touch with Cordelia the whole time Angelus was their prisoner. Keeping the cheerleader in the loop when Buffy no longer thought she had a right to be there.<\/p>\n
As the library doors swung open, Angel stopped pacing, but only to give Xander a silent nod of acknowledgement as he came through the door carrying two pizzas. \u201cNever fear, the food is here,\u201d Xander quipped as he entered sparing the vampire a lukewarm glance.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat kind did you get?\u201d Buffy queried holding out her hands for one of the boxes. It was never a good sign that Giles paid for pizza before patrol rather than afterward.<\/p>\n
\u201cVeggie Deluxe,\u201d shuddering dramatically, he handed that one over, \u201cand one with the works.\u201d<\/p>\n
Willow peeked in the second box. \u201cNo anchovies, right? Cos it\u2019s just not right to kill little fishies.\u201d<\/p>\n
The little stab coming from Willow Rosenberg caught his attention. It was a sign of the underlying emotions of the whole group. They dealt with his dark side for the course of the last month. None of them had come out unscathed. Maybe it would have been different if Angelus had simply disappeared for a while and he showed up with his soul intact; all might be forgiven.<\/p>\n
Nothing was that easy.<\/p>\n
It didn\u2019t work that way. They could deal with it and take everything he\u2019d said as Angelus with a grain of salt or they could sit and stew over it. Not that he felt any of it should be glazed over and forgotten. Being physically restrained, his words had been his only weapon and they were sharp and cutting as any blade.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow that Xander has arrived,\u201d Giles pulled his focus back onto the matter at hand trying to ignore the little smile that played around Jenny\u2019s lips, \u201cwe\u2019ll get started.\u201d<\/p>\n
Angel stared toward the doors before saying, \u201cWe should wait.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d Xander already had his mouth full of pizza and chomped it visibly. \u201cNot like we have to finish dinner first. Our moms aren\u2019t watching to see if we talk with our mouths full.\u201d<\/p>\n
Buffy laughed at him, balling up a napkin and tossing it across the table. \u201cCould you be any more gross, Xander?\u201d<\/p>\n
Nodding his dark head, Xander obliged her by opening his mouth really, really wide; still full of pizza, of course. The girls were laughing at his antics, while Giles simply let out a deep sigh thinking that the Watcher\u2019s Council didn\u2019t pay him enough for this. He received a sympathetic look from Jenny who had only recently started coming to these meetings, but was quite used to the antics of seventeen year-old boys.<\/p>\n
Scowling darkly, Angel wondered what Cordelia had ever seen in Xander Harris that would make her date him in the first place. \u201cJust wait a few more minutes, Rupert.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jenny\u2019s gaze turned curious, catching the vampire\u2019s eye and realizing the reason he sounded so impatient. Though Cordelia hadn\u2019t said a word to her about coming to the meeting, it seemed clear who the vampire was expecting. Though she hated putting herself in the middle of this any more than she already was, Jenny figured she should suggest that he tell the gang to expect Cordelia Chase.<\/p>\n
Her decision came too late as Cordelia pushed open the library door, standing just inside them to survey the room. Running behind schedule, Cordelia was still breathing fast from sprinting in from the parking lot, her heart beating fast in anticipation of being here and knowing what was likely to come the minute she stepped in the door.<\/p>\n
At first glance, Cordelia noticed their varying expressions. Welcoming. Hostile. Surprised. Meeting Angel\u2019s somewhat relieved gaze, she held it, automatically giving him a smile, but her attention was pulled away as she heard Xander react.<\/p>\n
\u201cCordelia?\u201d he gaped open-mouthed having finally swallowed the pizza.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s my name,\u201d Cordelia quipped stepping further into the room. \u201cBeing easily forgetful or are you hoping I\u2019m just a figment of your imagination?\u201d<\/p>\n
Buffy dropped her pizza slice back on the top of the box looking like she wanted to reach for the nearest stake. \u201cA good dose of amnesia where you\u2019re concerned might be healthy for all of us, Cordelia.\u201d<\/p>\n
The slayer\u2019s ultra-cool voice couldn\u2019t hide the anger rising beneath it. Cordelia knew just what to say in return and the snarky response was forming on her tongue as both Giles and Jenny stepped forward to put a stop to what they saw as a potential battle of wills. Caught between defending Xander and backing up Buffy, Willow ended up gaping like a fish uncertain what to say.<\/p>\n
Moving toward her, Angel stopped by Cordelia\u2019s side as if his presence along might provide her with an aura of protection. Before she could snap back at Buffy, he told them, \u201cI asked Cordelia to come.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe can go,\u201d Buffy jumped down from the table, not coming closer, but standing with her hands crossed over her chest. \u201cYou know how I feel ab\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCordelia stays,\u201d his tone darkened defying further argument. Not that he expected it would stop there. Angel didn\u2019t want them blaming her for showing up uninvited when it was his idea. \u201cMy decision. She belongs here. With me.\u201d<\/p>\n
As her retort died on her lips with Angel\u2019s surprising statement, Cordelia felt a little startled by the twist her mind is putting on those words. She belonged with him. The notion sent a swarm of butterflies to swirl in her stomach.<\/p>\n
Get it together, Chase,<\/i> Cordelia admonished herself. That\u2019s not what Angel means no matter how good it sounds.<\/i><\/p>\n
Buffy was the one to ask, \u201cWhat are you saying, Angel?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you want me here, you\u2019ll accept us both,\u201d he told her frankly. \u201cI\u2019m not going to let one\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMistake?\u201d injected Buffy.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne night<\/i> wreck Cordelia\u2019s life anymore than I want that for you,\u201d Angel explained emphasizing he had no intention of calling his time with Cordelia a mistake.<\/p>\n
Realizing that Angel was referring to the night he lost his soul and the confrontations with Angelus that followed, Buffy reluctantly saw how he might make a comparison. Not that it gave Cordelia any right to touch him in the first place.<\/p>\n
Xander could no longer stand being silent. Pointing at Angel, he let his own anger for the vampire stir. \u201cLet\u2019s not forget you do get around. Who\u2019s next on your seduction list\u2026Willow?\u201d<\/p>\n
Blushing beet red at the idea, Willow looked a little frightened by Xander\u2019s sarcastic suggestion considering something Angelus said to her the night he lost his soul.<\/p>\n
Calling out their protest, Cordelia and Buffy snapped, \u201cShut up, Xander.\u201d<\/p>\n
Even Giles had to say, \u201cThat\u2019s not necessary, Xander. Angel is neither drunk nor soulless, so I would assume he is in control of his faculties at the moment.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAngel\u2019s soul is permanent,\u201d Jenny assured the group. \u201cThere is no need to fear that Angelus will return.\u201d<\/p>\n
While he was gratified to hear them coming so unexpectedly to his defense, Angel had to say, \u201cHarris is right.\u201d<\/p>\n
That floored Xander. \u201cI am? Yeah. Okay, so what am I right about?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe blame lies with me,\u201d Angel returned calmly. \u201cEverything that has happened is all because of my actions in the past.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cordelia put her hand on his arm, turning to assure he understood, \u201cI don\u2019t blame you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Xander wasn\u2019t so accommodating. \u201cI do. Cor, you broke up with me because of him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rolling her eyes, Cordelia huffed, \u201cWe broke up before anything happened between Angelus and me. It had nothing to do with him and you know it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mumbling under his breath, Xander couldn\u2019t come up with a response when she hit him in the face with the facts.<\/p>\n
Repeating her words with emphasis, \u201cYou know it.\u201d<\/p>\n
He mumbled a little more glancing at her with a hurt expression as if admitting that to himself would mean he no longer had anyone to blame for their breakup except for Cordelia and himself. He\u2019d gone to such lengths to win her back by having Amy cast that love spell, only the town went wacky instead.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re a sweet, funny guy Xander,\u201d she smiled at him softly drawing his pout into a wry line, \u201cbut when it comes to being your girl, I\u2019ll know I\u2019ll never come first. Cos you\u2019ve already got two that take priority.\u201d<\/p>\n
Buffy and Willow stared at Xander for a moment, both thinking that they knew she was stating the truth. Xander would do anything for them and despite the crazy spell he had tried in order to win Cordelia back, they just had a special bond in which the cheerleader had no part. Under their scrutiny, Xander squirmed nervously, but he was not able to deny it either.<\/p>\n
There was only one truth he could point out in response. \u201cYou slept with Angelus.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah. I did,\u201d Cordelia answered without hesitation. Hands on her hips, she took an aggressive stance next to Angel. \u201cGet over it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut we\u2026,\u201d Xander trailed off as his words got mired in a jealous muck that weighed them down.<\/p>\n
Giles made an awkward sound as Xander brought up the subject of sex. Looking like he might have heart failure, the Englishman cleared his throat attempting to gain their attention.<\/p>\n
Not even noticing, Cordelia picked up where the teenager had left off, \u201cBut we<\/i> never did it. The closest sessions were hot, Xander, but maybe the fact that it never went further was a sign that it shouldn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
Angel frowned as he listened to the conversation. Closet sessions? What the hell was that supposed to mean.<\/i><\/p>\n
Conflicting emotions ran rampant through Angel and he tried to get them under control. Just the thought that Xander had his hands all over Cordelia made him furious, but being her boyfriend at the time gave him the right to do so. At the same time, Angel felt elated at the news he\u2019d never fucked her. Maybe Cordelia hadn\u2019t been a virgin, but the thought of Xander Harris being the one to initiate her brought his rage a little too close to the surface to completely contain.<\/p>\n
If Xander thought there was still a chance he might bed Cordelia, then Angel would just have to correct that notion pretty damn fast. \u201cTime to move on, Harris. Cordelia can be your friend, but she\u2019s sure as hell not going to be anything else.\u201d<\/p>\n
The possessive tone surprised her, but Cordelia found herself equally amused by it. \u201cPfft! I\u2019ll pick my own friends, thank you very much,\u201d then turning back to Xander, \u201cI\u2019d like you to be one of them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Feeling the weight of Buffy\u2019s stare, Xander told Cordelia, \u201cMe too.\u201d It still hurt to say that was all they could be, but there was too much truth in her words to deny he had no feelings for Buffy & Willow.<\/p>\n
\u201cHey!\u201d Buffy protested his response as if she had a right to complain about keeping Cordelia as a friend.<\/p>\n
Willow suddenly felt tired of all the push and pull between her two best friends over the Cordelia and Angelus saga. She finally voiced the thoughts she\u2019d been keeping to herself all this time, \u201cBuffy, maybe it was all just a mistake. Th-they were drunk that night. Things happen. What would you do if Angelus came up to you that way?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cStake him,\u201d her automatic answer left no room for reconsideration despite the fact that she had been reminded that Angelus and Angel were the same being.<\/p>\n
Cordelia tapped her fingers on her hips. \u201cI\u2019m not the slayer here, Buffy. You weren\u2019t exactly on speaking terms with Angelus. I wasn\u2019t thinking of consequences. Things just happened. I don\u2019t blame Angel for it and I don\u2019t regret a second of that night.\u201d<\/p>\n
Stroking his hand down Cordelia\u2019s back, Angel\u2019s comforting move was not lost on Buffy, nor the tender look in his eyes as he stared at the brunette. Drawing up to her full height, Buffy fumed at him, \u201cWill you just stop touching her.\u201d<\/p>\n
Having not even realized he was doing so, Angel started to drop his hand having and then changed his mind keeping it there. Sensing the tension in Cordelia\u2019s back made him want to soothe it away and it took quite an effort to keep his hand still. Angel tried to redirect Buffy\u2019s anger by bringing them back to the reason they were there in the first place. \u201cWe\u2019re here to help with patrol.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes,\u201d Giles jumped at the opportunity the vampire had opened up as he saw the storm brewing in Buffy\u2019s green eyes. Thinking he could do with some tea to calm his nerves\u2026or a stiff drink, Giles suggested, \u201cYes, let\u2019s do talk about patrol. Buffy? Let\u2019s begin our review of last night\u2019s encounter with the Degarba beast.\u201d<\/p>\n
Buffy didn\u2019t want to talk about the Degarba beast. Giving her watcher a petulant pout, she plopped down into her chair. \u201cI\u2019m listening.\u201d<\/p>\n
Letting out a long sigh, Jenny realized the slayer had resigned herself to Angel\u2019s terms. If she wanted the vampire there, Cordelia would be there too. There was obviously more going on than Cordelia had revealed and while she was curious on her own, Jenny also knew that despite the permanent soul Angel would always be her business. By cursing Angelus, the Kalderash had also tied themselves to him for eternity.<\/p>\n
Cordelia had to have met up with Angel since they parted at Rupert\u2019s apartment, she guessed. Jenny had talked with Cordelia briefly at school, but the teenager didn\u2019t say much more than to thank her for researching the curse so thoroughly and for telling her about the spell-casting.<\/p>\n
Having heard Cordelia\u2019s side of events and witnessed some of the things Angelus had revealed to Buffy and her friends, Jenny figured that Angel\u2019s re-ensoulment was only going to add more conflict to the situation. Knowing that she was right was not at all satisfying.<\/p>\n
\u201cHave a seat, Cordelia,\u201d Giles gestured toward the table. He was not opposed to her being here as long as it didn\u2019t disrupt things. He hoped after a period of adjustment, Buffy would get used to having her around again. As for Angel, he wasn\u2019t certain at all what might happen, but secretly wished that the vampire would leave his slayer alone.<\/p>\n
Stepping up to the table, Angel held out a chair for Cordelia drawing a smile from her lips as she acknowledged his gentlemanly move. \u201cFirst car doors and now chairs, what\u2019s next, covering mud puddles with your coat?\u201d<\/p>\n
Angel instinctively clasped a protective hand to his leather jacket and after mirroring Cordelia\u2019s teasing grin with a flash of pearly white teeth, pressed his mouth into an amused smirk. There was just something about her that made him want to protect and cherish her one moment and bring her to an earth-shattering orgasm the next.<\/p>\n
Caught up in their own little world of magnetic eye-contact, Cordelia got the feeling that Angel wouldn\u2019t be quite so polite in bed. Just the way he was looking at her made her want to jump him. Neither one of them noticed Buffy\u2019s scowl as Angel headed over to his usual spot on the stairs where he could keep an eye on them both.<\/p>\n
After Giles\u2019 long lecture on Degarba beasts and the proper<\/i> way to bring them down, the group headed out on patrol. Buffy had glanced at the information Angel had found in the watcher\u2019s book yesterday and taken out the demon with her own unconventional fighting style rather than follow the recommended technique to the letter.<\/p>\n
Giles seemed a little reluctant to let the gang go off on their own without his supervision. Considering the tension that continued to fill the room, he wasn\u2019t at all certain it would dissipate if his watchful eye wasn\u2019t on them. \u201cJenny, perhaps you should head home.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll see you later then,\u201d she agreed, her dark eyes twinkling.<\/p>\n
Sliding a glance at the table of teenagers, Giles found them to be staring at him with that knowing look in their eyes. Recently, things had been developing quite rapidly between himself and Jenny Calendar. Though the last month of having Angelus in his house made it all but impossible to have her over, the vampire wasn\u2019t there anymore and when it came to choosing between spending the rest of the evening with her and a routine patrol, Giles found it a difficult choice.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll handle patrol,\u201d Angel told him, rising from his seat on the stairs.<\/p>\n
He wasn\u2019t concerned about what they might run into, but like Rupert Giles, he had a feeling the group dynamics needed a little airing out and exercise. That wouldn\u2019t happen if the watcher tagged along all night.<\/p>\n
Buffy stood up as well, not certain at all that she liked hearing Angel make decisions for her patrol that involved her watcher. Besides, having Giles along might help her to stay focused on patrol rather than the fact that Cordelia Chase was part of the group again.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe should come,\u201d Buffy spoke up. \u201cI may have more questions about that Degarba beast.\u201d<\/p>\n
Though Angel wasn\u2019t buying that excuse, he said nothing. Giles gave his slayer a small smile thinking that she was actually interested in hearing more about possible slaying techniques. In that case, his duty was clear.<\/p>\n