Part 9<\/b><\/p>\n
Kate Lockley stood the Hyperion lobby talking with Wesley, Angel instantly felt defensive. Kate always had him feeling like he had to apologize, it was aggravating and he didn\u2019t really think he had anything left to apologize to her about.<\/p>\n
He\u2019d saved her life, okay in the nick of time \u2013 but he had saved her \u2013 and it didn\u2019t take rocket science to link Kate\u2019s fall from grace at the LAPD to her meeting him in a nightclub a few years ago. Yet, he was pretty sure he couldn\u2019t be held responsible for her choices and reactions to vampires and demons.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s up, Kate? Hear something spooky on your police scanner you thought we should look into?\u201d Gunn asked walking past Angel, carrying a bag of Chinese take out he\u2019d picked up for him and Wesley.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. Wesley called me in.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, yes I did.\u201d<\/p>\n
Angel turned his gaze from just over Kate\u2019s head to Wesley, to see him take off his glasses and start to wipe them on the hem of his shirt. \u201cWes?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI found a link to all the victims of the Ycuchbn ritual sacrifice. As they can masquerade in human form, they have taken to using a front to lure in the young women they need.\u201d Wesley pulled a card out of his pants pocket and crossed the lobby, handing it to Angel.<\/p>\n
\u201cHobby Model Agency?\u201d Angel said, staring at the card in his hand. \u201cHobby?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought it best to act quickly, since we are limited time before the next sacrifice. I asked Kate to go in posing as someone looking for an agent, however\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou said no?\u201d Gunn asked from behind the counter where he was pulling out the food, getting ready to dig in and start eating. \u201cWant to join me and Wes?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo thank you,\u201d Kate said and she crossed her arms over her breasts in a defensive posture. Angel realized then that the stress and tension he was picking up from Kate, while not abnormal, was higher than usual.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey declined Kate an interview, she never got past the secretary.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d Gunn said, looking at Kate. \u201cSeems pretty enough to me.\u201d He winked at her.<\/p>\n
Kate sighed. \u201cOh, the secretary thought I was pretty, I think. She said it wasn\u2019t about my classic good looks, it was about my age. And then she said that if I wanted to lie about my age.\u201d<\/p>\n
Angel furrowed his brow. \u201cAge? Is age important to the rituals?\u201d<\/p>\n
Wesley shrugged. \u201cI don\u2019t believe it is, but is possible they are looking for young blood, gave it a deadline.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShould have lied about it then, Kate.\u201d Gunn said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI did. I put down 25. Apparently that was too old, but then again she laughed in my face when she read it on the application.\u201d Kate ran her hands through her hair and then picked up her bag from the pouf in the center of the lobby. \u201cWesley, I\u2019m sorry I couldn\u2019t get any further. But that agency is located in a dingy basement and the whole thing gave me a bad vibe. So, I\u2019d say you are on the right track. Stop these\u2026things from killing more young women, no matter what you have to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
She turned away from Wesley and saw Angel, gave a small unsure smile at him. \u201cAngel.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cKate.\u201d<\/p>\n
She slowed down for a moment, looking for a minute like she wanted to say something more to him and Angel waited. Waited and wondered what it possibly could be, there wasn\u2019t much else they could say to each other. They\u2019d work together, they\u2019d be civil but beyond that what more was there? Friendship had never entered their relationship before it was ripped by the news he was a vampire.<\/p>\n
Then vampires killed her father, she couldn\u2019t ignore the demons she\u2019d learned about, or share the truth with anyone she knew and then she\u2019d lost her job. Saving her life had been the least he could do, Angel supposed, but damn it did she have to look at him like that\u2026 like it was all his fault that demons existed? Just because he\u2019d told her about them?<\/p>\n
Her mouth shut and she breezed past him. Angel felt relieved, she\u2019d figured it out there was nothing to say. At least she would be willing to help, even if she hadn\u2019t been able to help this time.<\/p>\n
\u201cA modeling agency? Huh?\u201d he said to Wesley.<\/p>\n
Wesley nodded, as his mouth was full with food and he put down his fork, chewing furiously. \u201cI suppose we\u2019ll just have to stake the place out, see if anyone leads us to where they\u2019ll be performing the next sacrifice. Though, I was hoping to get more of a feel for how they are choosing the women. I ran a check on the agency, it\u2019s considered small time but it is getting a few young women legitimate jobs. Some of whom are still alive, they must have different criteria. Even if we got someone in there, there is no guarantee they\u2019d be chosen for the sacrifice.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gunn hopped up on the counter and tapped his chopsticks on his legs. \u201cTo bad we don\u2019t anyone who is young and just screams sacrifice me to your evil leader, huh?\u201d<\/p>\n
Wesley laughed sarcastically. \u201cYes, that would be lovely.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCordelia,\u201d Angel muttered, not realizing he\u2019d said it out loud. He walked behind the counter to a desk that none of them used and found the telephone book under a bunch demonology books. Opening it up he started looking for her number, wondering if she\u2019d even agree to meet with him let alone do this. It would be asking a lot but he didn\u2019t see they had any other choice. These demons were smart, they had their bases covered and they needed some eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cCordelia?\u201d Gunn said. \u201cWhat kind of demon is that?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCordelia Chase?\u201d Wesley said. \u201cCordelia? What in the world made you mention her? Was it the demon bait subject? I do recall that in Sunnydale vampires and demons alike did seem quite fascinated with her.\u201d<\/p>\n
Angel shrugged. \u201cI was\u2026\u201d he cleared his throat. \u201cWhen I was evil, anyway. Wanted to make her a very stylish present for Buffy\u2026\u201d he turned around and saw both Gunn and Wesley staring at him. \u201cWhat? I was evil then, I\u2019m just saying\u2026she lives in LA, she has a certain spark that attracts evil, and she knows about demons. She fits our criteria. And she\u2019s barely 21. She\u2019s got to be young enough for them. I don\u2019t want any more women dead and we need information that she\u2019ll be able to find for us without much prompting. Kate even if she\u2019d gotten in wouldn\u2019t really have known what to look for.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe lives in LA?\u201d Wesley said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho the hell is this chick, Cornelia?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCordelia,\u201d Wesley and Angel said in unison. Angel finally nodded as he finally found what he was looking for. A listing under Cordelia Chase, figured she\u2019d use her whole name.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe lives in LA, Angel?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah. I ran into her in Sunnydale last week.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou didn\u2019t mention it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Angel shrugged and looked at Wesley for a moment, why in the world was he put out by that? So, he hadn\u2019t mentioned running into Cordelia Chase. \u201cI didn\u2019t think it bore mentioning until now.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut, Cordelia and I\u2026well, I supposed it wasn\u2019t much\u2026\u201d Wesley stammered and started to turn pink, then nearly stuck his nose into a container of fried rice.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, right. You and her had that \u2018gross flirtation\u2019 to quote Buffy, quoting Xander.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt most certainly was not gross.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, she\u2019s a hottie?\u201d Gunn asked.<\/p>\n
Angel held up his hand to quiet them, dialed her number and gave Wesley a worried look. \u201cAsk her to come here? Tomorrow?\u201d<\/p>\n
Wesley nodded. \u201cBetter to ask her to put herself in mortal danger face to face.\u201d<\/p>\n
Angel agreed with a shrug and waited for Cordelia to answer the phone.<\/p>\n
***<\/p>\n
This was good, Cordelia thought. She\u2019d come out of her room, smiled, flirted and now she was on her couch with Alec rubbing her feet. He was watching a business news channel and she was flipping through a magazine on interior design. It was nice and Alec really did have a talent with his hands and he claimed to love pampering her. He of course did get a lot of perks out of the pampering, a small voice reminded Cordelia but she pushed it aside. She was going to focus on the good.<\/p>\n
And the good was they weren\u2019t having fight number one million about her giving up her apartment, job and acting ambition. The apartment was quiet; Alec had taken off his suit and put on jeans and blue pullover shirt that brought out his blue-blue eyes. Peering at him over the edge of the magazine Cordelia smiled, he really was gorgeous. A small doubt flickered through her mind that Alec\u2019s looks and his bank account really weren\u2019t things she should be basing her pro-list on, but she pushed it down. They\u2019d been on the list since she\u2019d first realized that boys were more than morons who pulled your pigtails. Rich, good-looking, in a good social circle, and willing to worship her.<\/p>\n
It didn\u2019t matter if the worship wasn\u2019t all it was cracked up to be, nor was it blind adoration and sometimes it felt condescending. What else was she supposed to do? Be alone? Let someone else like Xander Harris worm under her skin with his sarcastic humor and puppy-dog eyes only to break her heart because they want to get in bed with their female best friend? No thank you.<\/p>\n
Getting herself out of her bedroom and making up with Alec had been the best decision she\u2019d made all day \u2013 and hey she was getting a foot rub out of it. Smiling, she bent her head down and started to read the article about the latest trends in high style bathrooms.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe office is holding a charity ball next month.\u201d<\/p>\n
A ball? Cordelia let the magazine fall against her chest and smiled at Alec. \u201cReally. Formal?\u201d<\/p>\n
Alec grinned. \u201cYou will be the most beautiful woman there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cordelia smiled back. \u201cWell duh.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll be so proud to have you on my arm. Mona wants to discuss dresses with you, she asked if you would be free for lunch sometime this coming week?\u201d<\/p>\n
Mona was the latest woman to be dating Alec\u2019s business associate, and Cordelia supposed friend, if one defined the term friendship loosely, Kent. Cordelia barely knew her but in Mona\u2019s favor she seemed smarter than the last three blondes Kent had gone through. At least she had better taste in clothes, shopping with Mona would actually be fun. \u201cI think so,\u201d Cordelia winced thinking about her work schedule, the auditions she had lined up. \u201cI have to check my schedule. Do you have her cell?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUh, yeah, she rattled it off to my secretary,\u201d Alec mumbled standing up along with Cordelia to get his brief case. Cordelia walked over to small table, she liked to call the dining room table even though it really just had a tiny spot in her living room between it and the kitchen. Picking up her maroon date book, she started to flip through the pages wondering when she could find a break to go shopping. Biting her lip in concentration she decided she had to make time for it, she rarely got to go shopping anymore, especially with someone who knew what a real dress looked like.<\/p>\n
Alec came up behind her with a slip of paper with his business\u2019s name on the top, and he kissed her earlobe. \u201cHere you are,\u201d he whispered.<\/p>\n
She took the slip and zeroed in Thursday, it was the soonest she could pull it off. \u201cI\u2019ll call her now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Moving away from Alec to her phone she screamed, her hand flying to her heart when her phone rang. \u201cDamn it I hate when that happens,\u201d she muttered, glancing at Alec who was just shaking his head at her. \u201cHello, this is Cordelia Chase.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCordelia. It\u2019s Angel.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her breath caught in her throat and she felt like she needed to sit down. Why the hell would Angel call her? Oh my God, what in hell was going to come bearing down on LA? \u201cIs there an apocalypse?\u201d She blurted out, causing Alec to stare at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. Nothing that dire, but it\u2019s important.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot dire but bad then?\u201d Cordelia rolled her eyes. \u201cWell, then why the hell are you calling me? It\u2019s not like bad things of the\u2026\u201d she suddenly realized Alec was staring her at her and fished for a way to say what she wanted to say without saying it. \u201cOf the acting in supernatural freak shows are my specialty.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d Alec said clearly confused.<\/p>\n
\u201cHold that thought, Angel,\u201d she put her hand over the mouthpiece of the phone. \u201cActing stuff, Alec. Go watch your show.\u201d<\/p>\n
Alec nodded, turned around but then he looked back at her. \u201cAngel? That guy you spent the weekend with?\u201d<\/p>\n
Cordelia rolled her eyes. \u201cAngel\u2019s not a guy. And yes, go watch the money news,\u201d she pointed to her TV and turned around, taking the cordless phone with her into the kitchen. \u201cSorry, Angel. What the hell do you need me for?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLook can we talk about it tomorrow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTomorrow?\u201d Cordelia closed her eyes and remembered what she\u2019d just read in her date book for the following day. She\u2019d had work and the gym penciled in, she could skip the gym one time she guessed. \u201cUm, I can do that but after work, I can\u2019t skip or anything, and hey it will be dark so no problem for you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Angel made a weird sound that might have been a chuckle but she wasn\u2019t sure. \u201cThat\u2019s fine, let me give you the address for my place.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have a place?\u201d Cordelia asked, grabbing a pen from her dining room table and scribbling the address on the same piece of paper as Mona\u2019s number.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a hotel. The Hyperion.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou live in a hotel? With like people?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAlone?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, because living in a hotel alone is so much more normal,\u201d Cordelia thought out loud. \u201cYou are sure you aren\u2019t evil?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat!\u201d Alec yelled from the couch.<\/p>\n
\u201cShh,\u201d Cordelia snapped at Alec over her shoulder.<\/p>\n
\u201cCordelia, I\u2019m not evil but I do need your help.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cordelia furrowed her brow but her skin started to tingle at the idea that Angel needed her help with whatever evil-fighting things he did in the dark of the night. Then she shook it off; she was just going to go meet him out of curiosity and nothing more. She\u2019d say no, because really how the hell could she help a vampire with anything but dinner. She shuddered at the thought and shook her head physically to get the memories of her close calls out of her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay, Angel. I\u2019ll be there around 6 or 7, my boss might be on the warpath tomorrow because I was off today working on a movie, and she gets into a hissy fit when I\u2019m not around to help her actual act human around the clients. She\u2019s worse than a demon I\u2019ll tell you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDemon!\u201d Alec said from the couch. \u201cCordelia what kind of play are you saying yes too?\u201d<\/p>\n
Cordelia rolled her eyes at her boyfriend. \u201cI have to go, my boyfriend is getting testy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah. I can hear him,\u201d Angel said. \u201cSee you tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, bye.\u201d She hung up the phone once again a small thrill running through her before she shook it off and turned to face Alec.<\/p>\n
\u201cDemons? Evil? What kind of play is he asking you to be in?\u201d<\/p>\n
Cordelia shrugged and gave Alec her most charming and hopefully distracting smile; she didn\u2019t feel like making up a lie. It didn\u2019t matter; she wasn\u2019t going to help Angel out anyway. She was just a bit curious about his life in LA, he\u2019d always been the weirdest man \u2013 demon \u2013 she\u2019d ever met. Why not just check out the freak show that was his life. \u201cI don\u2019t know yet exactly but I\u2019ll find out tomorrow after work.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen you\u2019ll come by my place?\u201d Alec asked, grabbing her by the waist and pulling her into him.<\/p>\n
Cordelia wanted to say no, but how could she, he was looking so cute and he\u2019d seemed a bit jealous of Angel due to thinking she\u2019d been hanging out with another man during a fun weekend away. She didn\u2019t have to stay at his place if she went over there, she\u2019d have her own car and she could leave whenever she wanted. \u201cOkay.\u201d She smiled as she answered.<\/p>\n
Part 10<\/b><\/p>\n
Cordelia tapped her steering wheel nervously, her eyes darting from Angel\u2019s parked car to the large hotel a few feet from the door Angel had told her about.<\/p>\n
She still felt the odd tingle from the previous night when Angel had called her and said he needed her help; yet her mind just couldn\u2019t comprehend it. Also she was reminded of standing in front of the library doors in high school so many times, trying to tell herself she didn\u2019t want to go in and help the slayer. Yet she always had and she was going to go into the hotel too. Cordelia knew it but a part of her wanted to just try to remember why she shouldn\u2019t.<\/p>\n
She was an actress. She was an office manager. She had a boyfriend who came from money and made loads more. She had a life that didn\u2019t include monsters and demons. Cordelia nodded her head, yep those were the reasons she had no reason to open the door to her car and walked into the hotel.<\/p>\n
But why did Angel need her? What had made him think of her? What did this hotel look like on the inside? Why did he live here? And again what would make him think he needed her help? Her, Cordelia\u2019s, help. Angel had said he needed her help and it was important\u2026 Her help was of importance?<\/p>\n
Cordelia\u2019s hands left the steering wheel and within minutes, with her purse thrown over her shoulder she was making her way into the hotel. She was in a darkened hallway, her heels echoed on the tiled floor but ahead of her was the glow of light and maybe that was why she felt no doubt. Or maybe it was just the knowledge that this was Angel\u2019s hotel, but her nose scrunched at that thought. She knew she trusted Angel but he was a vampire who could return to the soulless creep she\u2019d once met in Sunnydale. Yet still no fear flowed through her, just the unmistakable tingle of anticipation of finding out what Angel wanted.<\/p>\n
Cordelia sped up her pace and found herself in a well-lit lobby with a few pieces of furniture that had be from the fifties. In fact she quickly took in the whole lobby and realized that it had to have been last decorated back in the 1950\u2019s. Angel really needed to give the place a make over, she thought, as her eyes fell on a bald, dark-skinned man sitting on a counter playing a game boy completely unaware of her presence. She knew she\u2019d made noise, her heels had echoed and here was someone who had to work for Angel just playing his game.<\/p>\n
\u201cI could be a vampire you know,\u201d she said loudly.<\/p>\n
The man yelped and was on his feet in two seconds, his eyes narrowing on her. \u201cYou ain\u2019t pale enough, white as all get out, but not pale enough to be a vamp.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s not my point. My point is, you work for someone who probably has lots of undead enemies, and you just let a woman with very loud shoes sneak up on you.\u201d To emphasis her point Cordelia walked toward him, with each step her shoes still echoed loudly on the tile. \u201cSee.\u201d<\/p>\n
The man\u2019s posture turned defensive then and from nowhere he pulled out a cross and a large knife. He put the cross in her face and gauged her non-reaction and then crossed his arms. \u201cYou ain\u2019t a lawyer are you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHuh?\u201d Cordelia said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho are you and why you questioning my abilities. I\u2019ll have you know I\u2019ve been dusting and fighting demons since I was in my teens.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPftt. I\u2019ve dusted a few myself. Where is Angel?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s downstairs doing his thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHis thing? Downstairs? How do I get there?\u201d Cordelia asked, tapping her foot as she waited.<\/p>\n
\u201cLook. I\u2019m Charles Gunn, I work for him and he\u2019s busy. You know about a nest or something else?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m Cordelia. He\u2019s expecting me, if you\u2019re his secretary you should know this.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSecretar\u2026 I\u2026you’re that chick\u2026you dated English ? Wow, I mean I never knew he had it in him to get such a fine piece\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
Cordelia\u2019s eyes narrowed, \u201cI\u2019d watch what comes out you\u2019re your mouth next, Mr. Gunn.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cJust Gunn. And I just met\u2026 aww hell, Angel\u2019s in the basement, first door you see going the way you probably came in,\u201d Gunn said, then he hopped on his counter and started back with his game.<\/p>\n
Cordelia shrugged and turned on her heel, making sure her heels were louder than usual, glancing back at the guy on the counter one last time. He was looking at her with a mixture of annoyance, defensive posturing and amusement. Cordelia decided she liked him, even if he had confused the hell out of her when he finally realized who she was. Who had she dated? She knew no one named English and what kind of name was that anyway?<\/p>\n
Opening the door, Cordelia instantly heard the sounds of something whapping against something in a constant, yet wild, rhythm. Descending the stairs she soon found herself facing Angel\u2019s pale back and watching him attack a heavy bag with his bare fists like it was his worst enemy. She felt a chill run down her spine at the fierce, intense violence of it and she took a deep breath to try to find her confidence.<\/p>\n
She felt intrusive, there was something so intimate about the rage she was witnessing and she was positive she was witnessing rage. She knew bad moods and she remembered Angel as someone who hid in the shadows. God, she shouldn\u2019t be on the staircase she realized. Her mind whirring and remembering her decisions in Sunnydale when it had come to Angel had been about keeping things easy, superficial and there had been no sharing of anything. Cordelia felt like she should turn around and leave, talk with the guy in the lobby and wait for Angel but part of her bristled at the idea.<\/p>\n
She\u2019d been invited over, he\u2019d said it was important and he needed her for something. In fact it was rather rude of him to go into some kind of angst-ridden petulant rage at the heavy bag in his basement when he knew she was coming. If he wanted to be a broody and violent guy he could do it on his own time. Decision made before she realized it Cordelia stepped down the rest of the steps.<\/p>\n
\u201cBeen sneaking up on guys all day. I\u2019m beginning to fear for safety of LA, at least from demons and undead guys like yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n
Before her sentence was even finished, Angel was facing her in full vamp face and looking mighty pissed off, his body tense and his fists still clenched. The words rage, violence, moody and intimate ran through her head again and she realized that she\u2019d called into question his ability to protect people. It didn\u2019t have quite the same effect it had on the guy in the lobby. That had been amusing, this was potentially and possibly dangerous. God, she could be stupid.<\/p>\n
\u201cGod, I\u2019m stupid,\u201d she said and closed her eyes. \u201cI was just teasing. Really. I did it to the guy upstairs, Uzi or something was his name, right?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGunn,\u201d Angel said his voice a harsh growl but his face seemed to almost melt back into its human form and though his body remained tense he seemed more relaxed. \u201cAre you early?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPftt.\u201d Cordelia looked at her watch and shook her head at Angel. \u201cAs if. I don\u2019t do early. Or on time. I\u2019m twenty minutes late.\u201d<\/p>\n
Angel nodded. \u201cLet\u2019s get straight to business then?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSure,\u201d Cordelia said. \u201cI\u2019m curious as to what you\u2019d need with me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is this modeling agency, it\u2019s a front for demons who are using it to weed out\u2026\u201d Angel paused for a moment. \u201cPotential sacrifices to this chaos demon they worship. People are killed, then something happens that creates chaos for that particular month. It happens on lunar cycles, we have a little under a couple weeks to figure out the way they operate. We need someone in the agency that will\u2026\u201d for the first time since he\u2019d started explaining he looked away from her eyes. \u201cAppeal to the demons for their needs,\u201d he said and once again his eyes met hers waiting for her reaction.<\/p>\n
Cordelia could do nothing but stare at him. At the clench of his jaw, the near blackness of his eyes, his body was entirely taut she realized and his fists were clenched again. Whatever had him hitting that bag was still weighing on him and he was waiting for her to say yes to being bait. Bait. Her. Again. She should have known she realized, why the hell else would he had thought of her?<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, when you realized this you immediately realized I\u2019d appeal to the demons needs?\u201d<\/p>\n
Angel nodded. \u201cYou have a certain\u2026quality.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cordelia did not like the way he said that, it implied that he himself knew precisely what the quality was because of first hand knowledge. And she shivered remembered a time when Angelus had her pinned down, other times when Angelus had leered at her before baiting Buffy. \u201cEwww,\u201d she said, looking around the basement and realizing the stairs were the only place to sit in the dingy place.<\/p>\n
She\u2019d missed the dust, dirt and the dankness of it before because she\u2019d been focused on Angel. Both his body and his rage, she thought wryly, looking up at him. He was still as a statue, his eyes boring into her the only sign he was alive and she thought for a brief moment that if one had to decorate only with a statue the basement couldn\u2019t do much worse.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis place needs flowers, some paintings, oh yeah and a cleaning by the way,\u201d she said, as she lowered herself onto the stairs.<\/p>\n
Angel took a step closer and continued to just stare at her. Cordelia squirmed a bit and was about to yell at him for staring at her, when his head ducked down and he took three steps away from her.<\/p>\n
\u201cSorry, Cordelia.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI guess it\u2019s okay. You explained why you need me and I have yet to answer you. So let me get this straight. You want me to be bait of course because I have a that special bait quality?\u201d<\/p>\n
Angel moved his eyes back on her. \u201cIt is dangerous, but I\u2019ll be around, as will Gunn and Wesley.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cordelia rolled her eyes. \u201cGunn, didn\u2019t hear my shoes banging away at your tile and Wesley screams at his own shad\u2026\u201d her eyes widened. \u201cWesley? Works with you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe doesn\u2019t scream at his own shadow anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBet he screams at yours.\u201d<\/p>\n
Angel shook his head and actually smiled somewhat before suddenly sitting down next to her on the steps. \u201cSometimes,\u201d he admitted. \u201cBut I lurk.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cordelia laughed outright and turned away from Angel, her eyes falling on the bag she\u2019d caught him savagely beating. \u201cThis is important isn\u2019t it? Because of the sacrifices, they’re women my age aren\u2019t they?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd younger.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd what happens after this demon god is appeased, it harms more people?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCar accidents, plane crashes, gangs suddenly feeling the need to shoot each other dead. Yeah. It harms a lot of people.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAccidents aren\u2019t really accidents. I knew it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes they are just accidents. Sometimes, no.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cordelia turned back to Angel. \u201cFine. I\u2019ll do it but on one condition.\u201d<\/p>\n
Angel stared at her waiting.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to get paid.\u201d<\/p>\n
Angel shrugged. \u201cWe usually only bribe around here, but I guess we can come up with something. Um, 100 bucks?\u201d<\/p>\n
Cordelia eyes widened. \u201cYou are asking me to put my neck on the line, Vamp Boy. No way. 1000 bucks or no bait.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCordelia.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cordelia stared him down.<\/p>\n
Angel made a disgusted noise and started to stand. Cordelia sighed, and grabbed his arm realizing she was going to have to show him how to bargain. \u201cDidn\u2019t they haggle in the olden days?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHuh?\u201d He squeaked, letting her pull him back down on the stairs.<\/p>\n
\u201cHaggle. I say 1000, you say 200\u2026. We end up meeting in the middle.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t afford the middle.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought you helped people. That this was like your homebase.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou bribe snitches.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, yeah.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWell then you should be asking people to pay, or taking on paying clients. I\u2019m sure there are some people out there looking for folks who can fight ghosts or just creepy stalkers. You\u2019d be great at that, handling creepy stalkers you know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI did that once. Of course he wasn\u2019t your usual stalker. Attacked Doyle with just his hand\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHuh?\u201d<\/p>\n
Angel snapped out his memory. \u201cNothing. Anyway, we find the trouble. The trouble doesn\u2019t come to us. Not since I lost my seer.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHuh?\u201d<\/p>\n
Angel rolled his own eyes. \u201cLook Cordelia, I will pay you, I owe you that much for the time and stuff this may take, plus the possible bodily harm.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf so much as a fingernail breaks you owe me extra.\u201d<\/p>\n
Angel stared at her. \u201cI just don\u2019t know what I can afford\u2026\u201d he trailed off his eyes darkened and his brow furrowing. He stood up and sniffed the air.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDemon in the lobby\u2026\u201d Angel growled and flew up the stairs.<\/p>\n