Part 21<\/b><\/p>\n
Wesley looked up from the notes he was making on recent cases expecting to smile politely at a waiter and order his drink. Instead he met Lorne\u2019s enigmatic gaze and instantly felt approaching doom.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t be so pessimistic\u2026or maybe\u2026\u201d Lorne said and he slid into the booth across from Wesley. \u201cYou don\u2019t have time for what I need to say.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why are you sitting with me?\u201d Wesley asked, stopping short at saying Lorne\u2019s name having just learned it from Angel recently.<\/p>\n
Lorne smiled. \u201cTo make sure you make time for me later, you fresh drink of water you,\u201d he explained before getting up and motioning to a waiter. \u201cParamount importance.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wesley watched Lorne manage to somehow blend into the crowd despite the loud purple suit he was wearing, his curiosity more than aroused by Lorne\u2019s words and what the club owner may have to tell him. Thinking that maybe the time should be made now, rather than later, when he was stopped short by a wide welcoming smile.<\/p>\n
\u201cHi, Wesley. Sorry, I\u2019m late. Work is\u2026well forget that; it\u2019s my boss that\u2019s crazy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wesley grinned. \u201cIt\u2019s no problem,\u201d he gestured to the seat across from him. \u201cPlease sit down. I\u2019m sorry, I don\u2019t have more time but I really do need to get back to the offices.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cordelia slipped into the booth and looked up when a waiter appeared out of nowhere and smiled down at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Host has requested that everything be on the house for you Ms. Chase. What would you like?\u201d<\/p>\n
Cordelia smiled, winked at Wesley and looked back at the waiter. \u201cTell Lorne that my affection can\u2026totally be bought. I\u2019ll have a mocha fat free latte, please.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, Ms. Chase.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDemon bars are so friendly,\u201d she said and Wesley smiled again and wiped his palms on his pants. It was ridiculous to be nervous, he knew her, though since her sudden reintroduction into his life he had barely had time to say more than a few personal words to her. And yet again this was business, he reached into his pants pocket and pulled out an envelope. \u201cI believe this is what you and Angel agreed on for your\u2026uh\u2026services.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cordelia smiled and grabbed the money. \u201cI so need this money, thank you. And thank Angel too\u2026he\u2019s busy?\u201d<\/p>\n
Wesley frowned. Angel was far from busy but in a highly disconcerting way.<\/p>\n
\u201cWas he hurt or something, you know fighting demons?\u201d Cordelia asked in a lower voice leaning forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, no, no. He\u2019s remained injury free the past few days. Since the fight you were involved in actually. It\u2019s just\u2026 he\u2019s\u2026\u201d Wesley trailed off and took a gulp of his ginger ale. \u201cWhere was I?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAvoiding talking about Angel,\u201d Cordelia said and her eyes narrowed in on him. \u201cWesley? How are you?\u201d<\/p>\n
Wesley couldn\u2019t hide his relief that she\u2019d allowed him to drop the subject of Angel and he took in a deep breathe. \u201cWell, I\u2026I\u2019m quite tongue-tied, apparently.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, you are in the presence of me,\u201d Cordelia said but then her eyes warmed and her expression grew softer. \u201cAnd don\u2019t be such a loser, Wesley. I mean I have all these fond memories of you; you saved my last semester of high school from being a mundane hell. I mean hell literally too, as you know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wesley chuckled. \u201cWell, you made my days in Sunnydale much less painful. You actually liked me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot. Still do. I wish you had more time. I mean I hate to just grab my bait-money and then not get to chat with you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, like I said I need to get back to the offices. I\u2019m in charge of the business now and I like to remain hands on at all times. I feel it helps matters.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe so called detective agency you guys run? How does that work really?\u201d<\/p>\n
Wesley sighed. \u201cIt honestly doesn\u2019t. The hotel tends to scare away walk-ins and we have a strict policy against divorce cases. It\u2019s just too unseemly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019d make money. What about battered wives, cheating spouses, stalkers and such? You guys could help victims of creeps way more than any cops could. Someone in one of my acting classes dropped out of the business completely because of a stalker. She went into hiding, ran completely away\u2026. Such a waste too. She had a real talent. And if I\u2019m going to make it, I want all the talent around to pommel to the ground.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAngel mentioned you had ideas for the business.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI could help with the hotel too. I do work for an interior designer; have a great eye for space and d\u00e9cor. Always have. Did I ever tell you about the time; I helped Xander and Willow find Ted the serial killer\u2019s lair where he had all the dead bodies of his lives? I realized a carpet was out of place, it hid the trap door\u2026\u201d Cordelia trailed off then and started to look around. \u201cJust where is my free latte?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCordelia?\u201d<\/p>\n
She sighed and looked back at him. \u201cHave you ever not thought about something for years, and then it\u2019s like the only thing on your mind? Lately, it\u2019s like everything brings up some thing I did with Buffy, or Xander, or Willow. I guess it was helping out you guys. I just. I left Sunnydale and all those monsters for a reason, right?\u201d<\/p>\n
Wesley nodded. \u201cI tried to put the Watcher\u2019s Council behind me, after the fired me\u2026 but I couldn\u2019t stay from the fight. Went after demons on my own learned to fight\u2026and thankfully I ran into Angel, found a place. I can be watcher and fighter with him. We even managed to help Faith.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIs that how she ended up in Sunnydale?\u201d<\/p>\n
Wesley smiled, feeling great pride in the strides his former Slayer had made to overcome her past and atone for all she had done. \u201cYes. She\u2019s made great strides, she\u2019ll always be fighting much like Angel does\u2026 but she\u2019s going to be okay. It was a lot of hard work, very rocky road. She tortured me, I almost wrote her off but\u2026 Angel and Faith herself made me see. She deserved the same chance I\u2019d given Angel.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cordelia nodded. \u201cI think it\u2019s good she\u2019s in Sunnydale. She won\u2019t let them all stay stuck about Buffy\u2026 I hope.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHello, Brown-Eyes,\u201d Lorne exclaimed and sat her latte down in front of her. \u201cYou two catching up on old times, finally!\u201d<\/p>\n
Cordelia rolled her eyes at Lorne. \u201cThank you. Hazel eyes. And yes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBrown to these peepers, remember,\u201d Lorne said as he continued to stare at Cordelia.<\/p>\n
\u201cStaring is creepy,\u201d Cordelia said, and Wesley moved his eyes carefully between the demon and Cordelia. Lorne\u2019s words to him before Cordelia\u2019s arrival coming back to him.<\/p>\n
\u201cLorne, are you reading something off of Cordelia?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHer aura is a fascinating subject,\u201d Lorne said, taking his eyes off of Cordelia and looking back at Wesley. \u201cOne that would be between me and her only.\u201d He turned back to Cordelia and wagged a finger. \u201cYou are going to have to get on stage for me someday. I do want to read you more fully\u2026\u201d he trailed off walked away and shot back at Wesley. \u201cOthers may be intrigued by it too\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe is really weird. It\u2019d be creepy if he didn\u2019t seem so friendly. He just gives this nice vibe and I never thought I\u2019d say that about a demon. Yet here I am surrounded by them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, sorry to pick this place, but I have a meeting here soon. With one of our more reliable\u2026well sort of snitches\u2026 Merle. He hates Angel\u2026 has just cause\u2026but he\u2019s quite helpful for the right price or threat.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cordelia sipped her latte. \u201cWell, I have to get back to the crazy boss. Keep me in mind to spruce up the hotel, not scare away clients. And need ideas for how to get clients who can pay you, remember I\u2019m full of them. And I know Angel has a problem with it, but I am willing to play bait again when you guys are desperate.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wesley eyes widened as he stood up to walk Cordelia to the exit. \u201cYou know he has ordered we don\u2019t use you as bait again?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOrdered?\u201d Cordelia echoed and she let out a small \u2018pfft\u2019 of air. \u201cYou\u2019re the boss, aren\u2019t you, Wesley?\u201d<\/p>\n
Wesley blushed and sighed. \u201cThere are some things I\u2019ve found it easier not to argue with him on.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhatever. Tell that vampire if it will save lives, I will bait and that\u2019s that. It\u2019s your call isn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n
Wesley laughed. \u201cTechnically.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere you go. And yeah, he went a bit nuts after I got hurt helping with Emily. So glad that demon guy didn\u2019t get off on his charges thanks to her father, by the way. My boyfriend was so surprised that that law firm didn\u2019t get him off, not that he knows about the demon part. Or that those lawyers are creepy\u2026.\u201d Cordelia trailed off again. \u201cAnd there I go babbling about things again. At least it wasn\u2019t about something in Sunnydale.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAngel wants you safe Cordelia. It\u2019s\u2026it\u2019s important to him.\u201d Wesley reached and pushed his glasses up his nose, his mind falling to the most recent past in his and Angel\u2019s path together. It wasn\u2019t pretty, it had led to so much pain and then just as Angel had his feet back on solid ground he\u2019d heard of Buffy\u2019s death. \u201cAngel\u2019s been through some\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBuffy?\u201d<\/p>\n
Wesley shook his head. \u201cIt\u2019s only a part of it, Cordelia. I think it\u2019s best to keep you safe.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cordelia eyes narrowed. \u201cWesley, do you mean from demons at large and playing bait-girl, or from\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you want now, Wyndam-Pryce, because I am so sick and tired of helping out that bloodsucker\u2026\u201d Merle\u2019s voice pierced the air and he walked right between Wesley and Cordelia.<\/p>\n
Wesley looked Cordelia in the eye and hated himself for silently answering her unfinished question in the affirmative. It didn\u2019t go over well with the young woman, who huffed out angrily before leaving the club hurriedly. Wesley instantly wondered if he\u2019d made the right decision but had to his mind to focus on Merle. It was imperative to find out the location of a nest of Skilosh demons in the area in order to stop them from infesting humans with their spawn.<\/p>\n
***<\/p>\n
Lindsey pulled on his tie the minute his last client of the day left his office. God, he hated wearing the stupid suit that was expected of lawyers. He wondered if his immediate superiors would really mind if he wore jeans and loose fitted shirt to work one day instead? He glowered when he decided they wouldn\u2019t like it and give him a lecture on appearances\u2026for a Wolfram & Hart employee must always appear to be the average young go-getter. At all costs. Lindsey smirked and leaned back in his chair and put his feet up on the desk. He\u2019d get what he was after; there was no way he was going to lose. Not with all that he had given and done to get as far as he had in the eyes of the Senior Partners. The intercom buzzed on his desk and Lindsey lazily replied to his secretaries call.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, Mina?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is a Mr. Wayne here to see you, sir?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOh. Let him right in.\u201d Lindsey stood up in a swift energetic move. This was information he\u2019d been waiting for, for way too long. He met the tall, hulking man in a cheap black suit at the door to his office and quickly closed door before barking out the order to the man. \u201cGive it to me?\u201d<\/p>\n
The taller man just handed over a file.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs this everything I asked for?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEverything, Mr. Macdonald. Though the information was not easy to find due to the location of\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCordelia Chase.\u201d Lindsey said, finally having a name to put to the face to the woman from the alley. \u201cCordelia Chase,\u201d he smirked. \u201cPretentious name don\u2019t you think Wayne?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout the price we discussed, Mr. Macdonald.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnyone else see this file, Wayne?\u201d Lindsey asked, going to his desk and dropping the rather thick manila folder. He started flipping through pages, to quickly assess whether or not this man had done his job fully.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUh. No, you specified that only I deal with this case. About my expenses\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat will be no problem,\u201d Lindsey said, his eyes falling on Cordelia\u2019s most current statistics, his blue eyes lighting up at the name and occupation of her boyfriend.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s a relief, Mr. Macdonald because\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMina,\u201d Lindsey hit the intercom. \u201cIf you would ask Stan in please.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course, sir.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cStan will take care of you, Wayne. Thank you for such a thorough job in this matter.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr. Wayne nodded and turned toward a nondescript man who entered the room. The man looked at Lindsey, and Lindsey nodded toward Wayne and kept his eyes on the hulking man. Wayne had a small smile on his face and was about to start forming another sentence about how he\u2019d need more money than he\u2019d originally thought when Stan shot him in the head.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll send clean up right up, Mr. Macdonald.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you, Stan, I\u2019ll appreciate that,\u201d Lindsey said, then leaned back over his desk to peruse the file on Cordelia Chase.<\/p>\n
***<\/p>\n
Cordelia leaned against the door of her apartment the second she entered. To say she hadn\u2019t been in a good mood since her silent exchanged with Wesley at Caritas would be an understatement. She\u2019d felt foul and angry and not all happy. And it had been up to that moment the sunniest spot in her entire day.<\/p>\n
Her boss had been a hag all day, Lisa had been sick, so Cordelia had taken on the bulk of her work to help her out. But then the stupid English fool had to go and get her angry. Implying, or was it flat out saying it, that she\u2019d be safe to stay away from Angel? What was that?<\/p>\n
Was it a watcher thing? They\u2019d work with a souled vampire but just never really turn their backs? She sighed; pragmatically she knew that it made sense. Angel had a curse, his soul wasn\u2019t something natural to his state and it could go free. But how could it with Buffy dead? What the hell had made Wesley answer her unfinished question in the affirmative? Had he misunderstood her because his snitch \u2013 a demon in need of a lot of body lotion \u2013 had charged in between them.<\/p>\n
Cordelia sighed, pushed herself off the door, kicked off her shoes as she walked and hit the play button on her machine out of habit. She didn\u2019t like the implication at all, what if she wanted to see Angel again? It wasn\u2019t even a what if, she did want to see him again. God, she\u2019d given Wesley enough hints to get him to hire her to clean up the hotel\u2019s lobby at least. Though, she\u2019d love to get her hands on Angel\u2019s apartment.<\/p>\n
\u201cCor, it\u2019s me sweetheart. Mona says she and you never got together to shop for the Charity Ball. Honey, it\u2019s in a week. Do you have a dress? Do you need any money for one? Call me, or better yet maybe come over tonight? I miss you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cordelia bent over and grabbed her right foot starting to massage it. Alec she\u2019d deal with later, she thought vaguely before her mind went back to the important matter at hand. Angel might not want to see her, she thought? He\u2019d only come to her for bait. Of course he\u2019d gotten weird and protective suddenly, but that\u2019d been kind of nice. No one had ever actually worried about her butt before when it was on the line. She bit her lip, it had seemed like Angel might want to be friends\u2026or\u2026\u201dOh don\u2019t go there, Cor,\u201d she said to herself to stop the thought short. \u201cThat\u2019s ridiculous.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCordy! You won\u2019t believe this. Andrea LaBelle, went insane last night. She started screaming and clutching her head screaming about death and\u2026oh it\u2019s so gross intestines. She\u2019s gone totally mad, they had to drug her up and strap her down to get her to calm down. Doctors don\u2019t think she\u2019ll ever come out whatever state she\u2019s in from what I\u2019ve heard. Isn\u2019t it crazy? Another actress just couldn\u2019t take the pressure. So, you\u2019ll still be at the audition for the new primetime sudser, right, honey? Oh, and it\u2019s Deirdre of course!\u201d<\/p>\n
Cordelia sat down on her coffee table, her heart going out to Andrea LaBelle, whoever she was. She\u2019d never heard of her before, maybe she knew her by her face or work, she thought. Cordelia felt bad for her, she couldn\u2019t bring herself to have any sort of glee at the bad gossip. Maybe a year ago she still would have had a bit of intrigue and curiosity about how it had happened. But now, all she could think about was how sad it all was and if acting was even worth it.<\/p>\n
Was anything she\u2019d sat out to become and do in Los Angeles worth it? Started toward her bathroom. She had to take a long hot bath to empty her head of all thought. The serious ones anyway.<\/p>\n
***<\/p>\n
Wesley pushed open the door to Angel\u2019s room at the sound of a grunt. He\u2019d taken it to mean come in and not go away simply because it hadn\u2019t had much of a growl in it. He sighed, and wondered when he\u2019d come so adept at reading the odd noises of a vampire who preferred to be silent rather than talk.<\/p>\n
\u201cAngel?\u201d<\/p>\n
Angel was stuffing papers into the worn folder where he kept sketches and just nodded his head to let Wesley know he\u2019d heard him. One of the papers escaped Angel\u2019s hand and landed near Wesley\u2019s feet. Bending down, trepidation overcame Wesley. The last time he\u2019d left Angel alone for more than a few days, then come upon him drawing it had been nude sketch after nude sketch of Darla. A time that he still felt too close too despite his, as well as Gunn\u2019s and Angel\u2019s efforts to move away from it.<\/p>\n
Turning the paper over to reveal the sketch, Wesley felt instant concern and complete and utter confusion at the topic on the page. \u201cUh\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not like that, Wes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, no she\u2019s not naked\u2026\u201d Wesley muttered as he tried valiantly to close his mouth.<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course she isn\u2019t!\u201d Angel nearly shouted. \u201cLook, it\u2019s just, she\u2019s\u2026 it\u2019s best I don\u2019t see her again. I know this. I just have her one my mind\u2026and\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAngel, no matter what your reasons I don\u2019t think you sitting in the dark and sketching Cordelia could possible be a healthy \u2013 Angel, she\u2019s in a dumpster. Cordelia. Standing in garbage\u2026what the hell?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a memory.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wesley looked up from the sketch. \u201cFrom Sunnydale one presumes due to the cheerleading top you have her in.\u201d<\/p>\n
Angel nodded his hands in his pockets. \u201cLook, Wesley. She just\u2026she\u2019s\u2026why the hell can\u2019t I stop thinking about her?\u201d<\/p>\n
Wesley frowned and stepped forward holding out the sketch, realizing he wasn\u2019t going to get any explanation of how Angel had a memory of Cordelia in a dumpster. \u201cI don\u2019t know. It is odd behavior on your part. If this was Buffy, or Darla again, or God forbid Drusilla it\u2019d be much more understandable.\u201d<\/p>\n
Angel nodded. \u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut it\u2019s not a good sign, Angel.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know. But maybe it\u2019s okay?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay? You brooding about in the dark and drawing her? I most certainly think it is not.\u201d<\/p>\n
Angel frowned. \u201cCordelia\u2019s different though.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wesley sighed. \u201cI should tell you that when I saw her, I supported your decision against using her as bait.\u201d<\/p>\n
Angel eyes went icy in an instant, his hands left his pockets and he stepped forward. \u201cJust why did you do that, Wes?\u201d<\/p>\n
Wesley held his ground as he found himself face to face with a very intimidating vampire. But in the dark icy eyes, he still saw Angel a man he trusted and knew was had a good soul. A fighter against the darkness that few, thankfully, knew. A bit of relief hit Wesley and he told the truth. \u201cBecause like you I would like to see Cordelia stay safe. She has an entire life; she can go back to it no worse for wear. Isn\u2019t that the best, for her, Angel.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wesley was shocked at the amount of disappointment that clouded Angel\u2019s eyes for a brief second before they turned to the usual unexpressive look the vampire carried.<\/p>\n
\u201cI agree.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wesley frowned and turned to go. \u201cI have to return to Caritas again, Lorne seems to have something urgent to tell me. Would you like to accompany me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI see. Well, I\u2019ll come back before I leave, anyway, Angel.\u201d Wesley started to step away a loud nagging voice in the back of his head telling him he was making the wrong call in regard to Cordelia.<\/p>\n
Part 22<\/b><\/p>\n
Cordelia hurried into the room and saw the familiar face of an assistant to a casting director she’d auditioned for countless times. A casting director who liked her and her work. Realizing she\u2019d be auditioning for at least one friendly face gave Cordelia an instant confidence boost and her hips swung a bit more in reaction as she made her way to the table. Pulling out her head shot\/resume of the moment she smiled at the young woman at the table. \u201cCordelia Chase. For Cassandra.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCassandra Clark, school bitch, right\u2026\u201d the woman said checking a sheet before looking up. \u201cYou are under 25 right?\u201d<\/p>\n
Cordelia sighed, she would never understand it, she had no wrinkles there was no reason for people to constantly think she was already years older than her actual age. Of course people had thought she was in her twenties during high school, her father claimed it was the Chase bearing \u2013 whatever that meant, Cordelia thought. \u201cI\u2019m 20.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cReally? You have such a confident aura, I was sure you were\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI get that a lot,\u201d Cordelia explain good-naturedly. \u201cI try not to feel bad about it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, maybe you\u2019ll catch up to the age you look and stay stuck?\u201d<\/p>\n
Cordelia nodded as she was handed some papers. \u201cEveryone reading for Cassandra is also being asked to read for Bobbie\u2026so you\u2019ll be doing those two scenes. They are short, shouldn\u2019t be hard to memorize quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cordelia nodded and turned around to find a quiet spot to sit and study the two scenes; however she didn\u2019t get very far. Deirdre Emmett attacked her personal space with an insincere hug.<\/p>\n
\u201cCor! I just knew you\u2019d be here to be my competition for Cassandra. But that\u2019s okay, we girls made for Bitches need to stick together, right? Well, of course. Did you hear about Andrea LaBelle? I always knew that one couldn\u2019t take the pressure of this business\u2026 too Mid-western you know?\u201d<\/p>\n
Cordelia opened her mouth to state her concern for Andrea, even though she didn\u2019t know her and only had a vague idea just who she was she felt for the young woman. Life in Los Angeles was tough, it surprised Cordelia more people didn\u2019t break down, especially those trying to become stars or simply famous.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just so awful, all these na\u00efve girls dropping like flies with drugs or break downs \u2013 or both.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cordelia closed her mouth, she\u2019d never get a word in edge wise with Deirdre yapping at her. Or be able to focus on the lines she needed to know. \u201cOh my God, is that Matthew Perry!\u201d Cordelia yelled to get over Deirdre\u2019s loud voice.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere, where?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think he just rounded the corner\u2026\u201d Cordelia said pointing down the hall.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, oh, I have to go see\u2026\u201d and the gossip was gone.<\/p>\n
Sighing, Cordelia settled into a seat next to another young actress she\u2019d seen on a few auditions in the last several months and started to read over the scenes she was given. Both of them were for the two characters she was apparently auditioning for, thought she wanted Cassandra. It was the CC factor, she thought maybe it\u2019d be a lucky charm and plus she knew how to be a bitch. Use your talents was one of the main things she\u2019s learned early in life.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho were you and that other girl talking about?\u201d The young girl asked Cordelia, breaking her concentration.<\/p>\n
Cordelia bit back a retort, it wouldn\u2019t do to be a bitch to the competition\u2026 well it wasn\u2019t frowned upon it was a competitive business but Cordelia just didn\u2019t like to be the bitch full time anymore. \u201cAndrea\u2026La\u2026LaSomething. She had a break down apparently.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA, a breakdown?\u201d The girl whispered her eyes widening.<\/p>\n
Cordelia nodded and wondered if she had ever looked so wide-eyed and na\u00efve in her life. She quickly decided she probably hadn\u2019t, innocent and na\u00efve was something she\u2019d never been told she was. This girl was definitely not going to be trying out for Cassandra. \u201cI\u2019m sure she\u2019s getting help.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cJade stopped bothering this young woman, she needs to focus on her lines as much as you do,\u201d the older woman sitting next to the girl interjected. \u201cI\u2019m sorry, she\u2019s still getting used to the city, I suppose such an awful story is frightening for her. But since she has me I doubt that will happen. I\u2019m Helena Hansen, Jade\u2019s grandmother and manager. My little Jade will be a star.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cordelia smiled politely but held back a shudder when she looked into the woman\u2019s eyes. She saw strength and control there, a stage mother of the worst variety in a woman much older than most with probably more tricks and manipulation. And Jade seemed like such a sweet girl\u2026 sometimes Cordelia hated the acting business.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut we\u2019ll leave you be, it must be hard to have to play so much younger than you are after all\u2026\u201d the older woman trailed off.<\/p>\n
Cordelia raised an eyebrow at who she instantly renamed Grandmother Bitch and thought to herself that at least the older woman could be subtle about her put downs. \u201cOh, it\u2019s not hard at all, ma\u2019am,\u201d she answered emphasizing \u2019ma\u2019am\u2019 and getting up to find a new place to study her lines, smiling at Jade but avoiding contact with her grandmother.<\/p>\n
Studying the waiting area, she saw that Deirdre was back but thankfully talking someone else\u2019s ear off, another vapid gossipmonger she wanted to avoid talking with. Finally she saw an empty seat in a far off corner and sighed. She could finally focus. She\u2019d been looking forward to this moment all day, when she could focus on something that wasn\u2019t her growing restlessness for her life. Or a vampire.<\/p>\n
She frowned and blamed the brut and Wesley for her continuing thoughts on him, his hotel and his life of fighting evil. If he\u2019d just paid her, herself, or Wesley hadn\u2019t implied she should stay away from him it would be all over. Her little foray back into the world of monsters and blood would be a finished chapter\u2026no the last chapter in her life as someone who knew about the fight against evil. Her frown deepened, that didn\u2019t feel right. She would always know about the fight against evil. That Faith was out there in Sunnydale on the Hellmouth, that Angel was there in her own city\u2026fighting things that would make most people cringe. Poor girls like Andrea LaBelle thought the acting life was harsh and crazy inducing \u2013 what would evil do to her.<\/p>\n
And Angel was there fighting to keep girls like her, and little na\u00efve Jade and even loud mouth insincere Deirdre safe. As well as herself\u2026and apparently that meant away from him. Safe and away from him. It pissed her off. Where did he get off deciding that for her\u2026 there was no reason they couldn\u2019t still be friends. She sighed and rolled her eyes and corrected the thought. Become friends\u2026and the image of him in nothing but a towel flashed in her mind. She squirmed in her chair and pulled at her collar as her mind screamed the word curse<\/i> in her head over and over again.<\/p>\n
Why was it so hard to remember that he was someone to lust after? It\u2019d been easier in high school and she\u2019d been more na\u00efve and fantasy prone then. Of course she\u2019d also been a virgin\u2026\u201dhe turns evil Cordelia,\u201d she said out loud to snap herself out of it. She shook her head and blew a long breath of air out of her mouth to clear her mind, maybe it was best he\u2019d made a unilateral decision about their relationship\u2026non-relationship\u2026no it was something, something was\u2026 Cordelia slapped her forehead, hard, causing a loud thwap and everyone in the room to turn toward her.<\/p>\n
She smiled at them all. \u201cSorry, got into a moment in my head while memorizing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Everyone looked away.<\/p>\n
Okay, Cordelia, get this through your thick head. This was Angel. Broody, quiet, mysterious\u2026salty goodness\u2026no! He\u2019s got a curse. A no perfect happiness curse that made him go all evil when he got happy with Buffy. And hello, him and Buffy the love story of trauma and angst that rivals Romeo and Juliet. Though you really hated that play, and it was really over romanticized by Buffy and Willow. And everyone else in Sunnydale\u2026and he did keep looking at you and you were so sure you felt\u2026 Stop it, stop it, stop it. Curse, Curse, Curse. Evil bloodsucking fiend! Angelus, leather pants\u2026.ooh leather pants. Damn it Cordelia get a hold of yourself you have sixteen year old bitch to audition for\u2026<\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cJade Hansen and Deirdre Emmett you are both up now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cordelia looked up despite herself and locked eyes with Grandmother Bitch, who was giving Jade last minute suggestions. Then she smiled and glanced toward Cordelia. \u201cDarling you should stop frowning, it\u2019s giving your awful wrinkles.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cordelia eyes narrowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cGlaring isn\u2019t good for crows feet either, darling.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou would know,\u201d Cordelia said. Now that Jade was out of the room, she felt no reason to be nice to the piece of work that was her grandmother. She sighed and looked back at the lines. The silly lines of melodramatic teenagers that sounded like all the things she had looked down her nose at Buffy for\u2026 did she really want to play this on television? Maybe she was too old for this role? Maybe she just didn\u2019t want to do this anymore? And the last question made her breath catch and her heart felt like it was slamming into her chest.<\/p>\n
***<\/p>\n
\u201cAngel?\u201d Wesley called out, inwardly cringing at how desperate he sounded, only he wasn\u2019t sure if he was desperate for the person he heard to be Angel or not.<\/p>\n
\u201cNope.\u201d<\/p>\n
Instant relief and instant disappointment. Well, that didn\u2019t answer his question, Wesley realized as he stopped short in the lobby when Gunn walked out of the office door.<\/p>\n
\u201cWas just looking for my Gameboy, seen it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. I\u2019ve been looking for Angel everywhere, I thought he\u2019d be here\u2026by now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gunn looked out at the still sunny California day and then back to Wesley. \u201cWell, I doubt he\u2019s dust. There was no fight last night \u2013 was there? Because if I wasn\u2019t called\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was no fight. We would have called you\u2026\u201d Wesley trailed off and sat down on pouf. \u201cI must find him right away,\u201d he said and hung his head in his hands.<\/p>\n
Seconds ticked by and Wesley just sat, trying to talk himself into checking the basement, calling Caritas, check places Angel was known to go to by sewer to check on sources\u2026 Or should he just sit and wait?<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd yet you ain\u2019t looking like a man in a rush, English?\u201d Gunn finally asked, giving Wesley the excuse he was looking for to put some of the problem onto the other man.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, I\u2019m not. I\u2019m not quite sure I want to discuss part of what I have to discuss with him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWas that a riddle?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen put it in English, English,\u201d Gunn grinned.<\/p>\n
Wesley wished he could.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou need to lighten up.\u201d Gunn sat down next to Wesley on the pouf and slapped his back, hard.<\/p>\n
Swallowing the whine of \u2018ow\u2019 that threatened to spill out of his mouth, Wesley looked at Gunn and decided to just get it over with. Gunn would need to know all the information anyway, and he was a part of the life he and Angel lived. He\u2019d been living it most of his life. \u201cI must ask, have you been noticing Angel\u2019s behavior lately?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRestless, kind a short temper, sitting in the dark more than his usual? Yeah. Bit like right before he went wonky over\u2026 That bitch ain\u2019t back is she?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDarla?\u201d Wesley sighed. \u201cHeavens, no. And let us hope she never does return to LA. No, it\u2019s not Darla that has him behaving so oddly. It\u2019s Cordelia.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s obsessed with Cordelia?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWell\u2026I don\u2019t think so. I pray not. Lorne tells me I shouldn\u2019t try to discourage him from seeing her. That I in fact should encourage it. Something about his personality traits and that the outcome won\u2019t be the same even if the pattern seems familiar.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHuh?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLorne says that Cordy\u2019s going to stay in our lives.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gunn grinned. \u201cWorse things to have around to look at.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis isn\u2019t a very easy life we lead, Charles. Lorne implied she\u2019d be in OUR lives. Not visiting. In it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gunn frowned. \u201cHe said that?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe implied it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut if Angel\u2019s into her, then ain\u2019t it a good thing?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAngel\u2019s chosen to stay away from her, and I\u2019ve agreed with that decision\u2026I still do\u2026I think. But\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLorne freaked you out.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIn more than one way\u2026 It gets worse.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cProphecies. Old, long thought lost prophecies, that he tells me the Watcher\u2019s Council has had and known about all along\u2026\u201d Wesley frowned. \u201cThe Council is supposed to be an asset in the fight against evil, to aid, help and protect The Slayer. And Lorne has told me they\u2019ve had prophecies about Angel for years, meaning they could have prevented his last reign as Angelus\u2026.Darla\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHuh?\u201d Gunn said and started to stand up, his fist clenched, and Wesley saw in the man\u2019s eyes he was processing what he was sharing.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou want to stay sitting, Charles.\u201d<\/p>\n
***<\/p>\n
Angel paced the hallway outside of Cordelia\u2019s apartment, glancing at his watch and wondering just what the hell it was he was doing. He\u2019d told himself he\u2019d stay away from her, that it was for the best. He\u2019d spent enough time in her presence to know that while she\u2019d helped him out twice that she\u2019d left Sunnydale to get away from demons.<\/p>\n
And he was a demon. A demon who couldn\u2019t stop thinking about her, who\u2019d drawn in her every memory he had of her he could evoke, and a lot of nude fantasies\u2026guilt surged through him but it was joined by lust, desire and things he\u2019d never thought he\u2019d feel again.<\/p>\n
Things that had no names, just potential, anticipation, wonderment\u2026things he\u2019d felt when he\u2019d first seen Buffy, first heard her voice, and seen her fight vampires. Things that grown stronger when he\u2019d gotten to know her and seen her in action as both a girl and a Slayer. It was the same now, yet totally different\u2026 because he knew what it meant now, and it also reminded him of his recent reactions to Darla…<\/p>\n
Lust, need, hope. Darla had been human, not for long but long enough for him to think a lot of crazy and stupid things. It hadn\u2019t been his fault she\u2019d once again lost her soul but he\u2019d had to learn that the hard way. But his mind was a focused on Cordelia as it had been on Darla\u2026to the point of stalking.<\/p>\n
He sighed, he wasn\u2019t hiding, he was waiting\u2026not hiding and lurking, spying and looking through a window. No he was waiting, in plain sight, in the hallway outside her door. He could go in, she\u2019d invited him, lurk in the shadows\u2026. watch her or scare her by stepping out of the shadows. He started to smile at how angry Cordelia was likely to get if he broke into her apartment and scared her.<\/p>\n
And why was he here? He shouldn\u2019t be here; he was supposed to be walking away from her for her own good. If his. Wesley agreed\u2026the bastard\u2026but he trusted Wesley, and if his interest in Cordelia scared him too. He heard the elevator shift and then ding, the doors opened and he stopped pacing. Long black nylon clad legs were the first things to appear and he knew instantly they belonged to Cordelia. A short black skirt finally stopped him from seeing just where they ended\u2026and she wore a red blouse\u2026 she just had to be wearing red he thought and he took a step closer to her.<\/p>\n
She\u2019d blinked when she saw him, stopped walking and left her hand in her purse instead of pulling out her keys. Then she smiled and it was contagious.<\/p>\n
\u201cI, um, was in the neighborhood.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe sun is still out.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have sewer access.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLucky me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLucky me,\u201d Angel heard himself say and he licked his lips. \u201cSo, uh, I\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWant to come in?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cordelia pulled out her keys and brushed past him to get to her door. Seconds later they were inside.<\/p>\n