Title: Tiny Distractions
Author: Settiai
Disclaimer: "Angel" and other related characters are all properties of Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, and other related corporations. No infringement is intended. This story, such as it is, was written as a sign of respect and love for the characters, the show, and their creator. I claim no ownership of the aforementioned show and characters.
Rating: PG-13
Explanation: This is my story for the Choose Your Author (Version 2.0) Ficathon on LiveJournal.
Summary: When Angel disappears, it's up to Wesley and Cordelia to find him -- with a little help from an unwilling Kate.
Feedback: Comments and helpful criticisms are always appreciated.
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"I've completely lost my mind," Kate muttered as grabbed the folder she had tossed on her desk earlier. She shook her head as she began glancing through it. "That's the only explanation."
"You could just claim that it's because you're a kind and considerate human being who felt sorry for someone who's only been out of the hospital for four days," Cordelia suggested from where she stood in the doorway.
Kate didn't even bother to respond, though she did roll her eyes slightly. As a newspaper clipping caught her eye, however, she paused. She scanned over the article for a second or two before pulling it out of the folder and gesturing for Cordelia to move closer. "I think this is what you were looking for," she said with sigh.
Cordelia quickly made her way to Kate's side, and the expression on her face grew grim as she read the article. "Damn," she whispered, "it looks like Wesley was right after all."
Kate nodded slightly before putting the newspaper clipping back into the folder. "If you aren't out of here in thirty seconds, I'm reporting you for being in here without a visitor pass."
Shaking her head a bit, Cordelia slowly started toward the door. "Don't tell me that you don't want to find out what's going on," she said with a quick glance back over her shoulder.
"To be perfectly honest," Kate said firmly, "that's exactly what I'm saying. I don't care why you wanted that information, and I don't give a damn why it was you that came by instead of Angel."
"Whatever you say," Cordelia said with a skeptical shrug before turning back around and continuing on her way.
"This is the last time I'm helping any of you," Kate said warningly as Cordelia walked out of the room. "Remember that, will you?"
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"You were right," Cordelia said with a sigh as she opened the door and slid into the driver's seat of Angel's car. "It looks as if Angel knows that creepy vamp after all."
Before she had a chance to say anything else, Wesley grabbed her face and planted an almost ferocious kiss on her lips. She froze in shock for a moment before giving in and letting her body respond in the way that came most naturally to her - kissing him back just as fiercely.
Then her brain kicked in.
Cordelia pulled away from him in an instant, a furious expression on her face. "I thought you said that stupid spell would wear off!" she said angrily as she reached up and frantically wiped her lips.
Wesley stammered unintelligibly as his face turned bright red, a color that contrasted quite a bit with the cuts and bruises that covered his skin. Before he had a chance to actually say anything, however, Cordelia continued on.
"This is all your fault," she said bitterly. "The next time you find some ancient book written in a language that hasn't been spoken in a millennia, can you just do me one favor?"
"And what might that be?" Wesley asked sheepishly as he moved as close to the opposite side of the car as he could.
"Don't read it out loud!" she exclaimed loudly, her eyes flashing as she glanced over at him.
Wesley's face seemed to turn an even brighter red as he shrunk back even further from her, and his sheepishness seemed to grow. "How was I supposed to know that it was a lust spell?" he asked awkwardly.
Cordelia threw her hands up, an incredulous look on her face. "You could have… I don't know… read it to yourself first, and then read it out loud!"
"Y-you said something about Angel a few minutes ago?" Wesley asked quickly as the irritation on her face was replaced by true anger.
Cordelia's exasperation was speedily replaced by worry as her mind was drawn back to the matter at hand. "Oh yeah," she replied, "I did, didn't I?"
Wesley merely nodded as his gaze, which had been focused on her face, slowly began moving downward. He quickly snapped his eyes back upward, however, when he realized what he was doing. "So, what did you discover?"
"Kate looked up some information on those killings that Angel was investigating," Cordelia explained, the expression on her face letting him know that she hadn't noticed what he had just done. "It looks as if you were right about them happening before."
Wesley merely raised an eyebrow, silently urging her to carry on. "The last time was in the 70s," she continued. "It looks as if we have another Penn."
"Maybe," Wesley said with a shrug, "maybe not. Still, the facts do seem to point toward this vampire being someone that Angel was acquainted with in the past."
Cordelia nodded, moments before she suddenly reached out and turned on the car. "Well, at least we know where to look," she said with a shrug.
"We do?" Wesley asked in confusion.
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"So the police believed this to be where the so-called murderer was staying last time?" Wesley asked curiously, his eyes moving over the seemingly abandoned warehouse that lay before them.
"Yep," Cordelia said with a nod. "At least that's what the information Kate gave me said."
Wesley reached over and gently patted her hand, but at the gentle touch they both started. They glanced at each other for a moment before unconsciously leaning in and letting their lips meet.
They pulled away from each other a few seconds later, humiliated expressions on both of their faces. Without saying a word, they each quickly got out of the car.
"Let's do this," Cordelia said, her face burning with embarrassment as she glanced at Wesley from the other side of the car. "Before I end up going insane. Or having to kill you."
"Yes, that does sound like a plan," Wesley agreed with a slightly nervous nod.
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"Well, that didn't exactly go like we had planned," Cordelia said uncomfortably as she nudged the fallen ceiling beam with her foot. After staring at the ashes underneath the large piece of wood for a few moments, she finally shrugged. "But it did work."
"At least I'm not hanging from the ceiling anymore," Angel said grudgingly from where he sat on the floor. He rubbed his reddened wrists and grimaced slightly. "Though it would have been nice if that beam had collapsed several hour ago."
There was an amused expression on Wesley's face as he held out his hand and helped the vampire to his feet. "Was she one of yours?"
"In a manner of speaking," Angel said with a shrug. "Spike was the one who actually turned her though."
He paused for a moment before shaking his head in annoyance. As he did so, Wesley and Cordelia reflexively took a few steps closer to each other.
"I don't know what I'm going to do with you two," Angel said with a sigh. "The two of you have been out of the hospital for less than week, and what do you do? You come looking for me in…"
Angel trailed off, and a slightly confused expression appeared on his face as he stared at Wesley and Cordelia. "Guys," he said with more than a little puzzlement in his voice, "why are the two of you holding hands?"
Both Cordelia and Wesley glanced down immediately, and they quickly dropped each other's hand when they saw that their boss wasn't suffering from pain-induced delusions. "It's quite a long story," Wesley said immediately, his face speedily turning red. "You see, I came across a rather ancient book earlier today, and…"
"I'm burning that book as soon as we get back to my apartment," Cordelia broke in heatedly as she turned on her heels and started back in the direction she and Wesley had came from. "And if this spell doesn't wear off soon, that's not all I'm going to burn."
Angel glanced over at Wesley, a probing light in his eyes. "Wes?" he asked suspiciously.
"It's a long story," Wesley said with a shrug. "A very long story."