A/N: Welp, here is the beginning of what I hope can become one of my bigger mutli-chapter stories! It's a weird idea, and I know Angel might be OOC. Things will be explained. Just tell me what you think. Oh, and any spoken words written in italics are Spanish. I am tired of writing down translations and still using the wrong Spanish! Stupid Internet translators! (stabs them with ballpoint pens)

If Angel hadn't happened to look over her right shoulder, everything might have been different.

If she had looked over her left shoulder, she would have seen Roger and Mark losing a game of table football against two other friends. She would also have seen Maureen and Joanne making out on a table two feet to the right. She would never have seen the other half of Life Café.

But she looked over her right shoulder, and so things went that certain way. When Angel looked over her right shoulder, she saw Collins rolling his eyes at Mark and Roger, while a girl named Rosie laughed and pointed at them as Roger made a particularly feeble play. But what caught Angel's eye was Mimi. She was sitting at a table by herself; at least, she had been the last time Angel checked. But now she had some company. A man, dressed in a canvas trench coat and combat boots, was standing over her, leaning down and apparently speaking very fast. The disconcerting thing was that Mimi was looking up at him from her chair with a terrified expression on her face. Terrified and shocked.

Angel frowned and got off the bar stool she had been sitting on. The jeans she was wearing rubbed against the backs of her thighs, and she winced. She hadn't bothered to change out of her drumming clothes before meeting everyone at the Life. For a while, she'd been regretting it. But now it seemed like wearing guys' clothes might be a bit of advantage in dealing with Mimi's new guest. It was harder to convince a guy to back off when you were wearing a miniskirt.

Sometimes, that is.

As Angel approached, she heard a snatch of the man's words. Surprisingly, they were not English, but Spanish. Angel hadn't talked in Spanish with anyone but Mimi and a few other friends for a while, so it was a new twist to find that this stranger spoke it too. And somehow, it sent a shiver up her spine.

"Sorry to interrupt, but is everything okay here?" Angel asked in Spanish as she came upon Mimi and the man. Mimi's eyes snapped over to her, and Angel saw even more fear in them. But before she could understand why, the man turned to face her (before, his back had been the only thing in her line of vision).

"Fuck off, we're talking," he replied. Angel stared at his face, which was, to say the least, distinctive. He had skin that was darker than hers, but lighter than Mimi's, and seemed to have too much flesh in his forehead and cheeks. His nose was flat and round, and he had a light black moustache. Two beady, dull black eyes glared at her from beneath a tremendously thick brow. Perhaps most noteworthy of all, a thick purplish scar ran the length of one temple. Angel found her eyes following its thick, knotted path, as though she were tracing it mentally. And though Angel could not quite grasp it, she found this man totally, utterly, and achingly…

Familiar.

"What's your name? Why are you talking to her?"Angel asked warily, her brain working furiously to remember this man. She knew him, knew him well, but…how? Mimi tugged urgently on her sleeve, but she ignored her. The man looked Angel up and down scornfully, one stubby eyebrow arching in annoyance.

"I said fuck off. I'm talking with this little—"

Then it hit her.

Hit her unimaginably hard.

"Cordero…Cordero Navar," she breathed. All of a sudden, she could hear the blood pounding in her ears. Angel's hands began to shake. Cordero frowned as he heard her speak his name…but then his face changed as he recognized her too. For a moment, it was surprised. Then it became disgustingly smug.

"It's been a while, hasn't it, fag? Happy to see me? I know I'm thrilled to see you." His voice was taunting and evil. Angel couldn't think. Her heart was banging away in her chest, and Mimi's terrified eyes were like two bright lights focused right on her. There was a split second where she stood there silently and decided what to do.

A second after that, she punched Cordero in the face.

As most of her friends knew, Angel was actually an extremely strong person. She was smaller and compact, but looks could be deceiving. So the force of that punch was enough to carry Cordero across a table and knock over three chairs before he skidded to a halt on the ground. But he didn't stay down for long. Almost as soon as he touched the floor, Cordero leapt to his feet and charged Angel, tearing at her with his hands.

The entire Life Café had whipped around as soon as Cordero's body knocked over the first chair, and by the time he got to his feet, everyone else had too. People screamed as the two men fought in the center of the restaurant, while others rushed forward to separate them. Collins and Roger, exhibiting excellent response time, got there first.

It wasn't easy to get ahold of either of them. They were fighting with serious intent to injure; this was not a low-level fight. Fists crashed against bone, fingernails scratched at skin, muscles strained to find more and more strength for destruction. Roger tried to catch Cordero's arm, but he had no sooner closed his fingers around the man's wrist when it twisted away and flew, following the hand attached, at Angel. Likewise, Angel would not be subdued, pushing Collins away roughly as she attacked Cordero again. Mimi hung onto Maureen's arm, staring at the two fighters with a sort of dazed horror. Joanne held Maureen back from rushing in herself, while Mark cleverly stood on a chair and tried as hard as he could to get a clear shot of Angel's opponent's face. Everyone else around them yelled and struggled to see what was going on, crowding in like excited fans at a movie premiere.

Finally, Collins managed to dive in and secure Angel, his large arms forcing her into a combination of a bear hug and a hammer lock. She twisted and thrashed in his arms, shouting furious streams of Spanish as she tried to escape his restraint. Roger made to hold Cordero back, but he threw the blonde man off easily. Cordero stood in the small arena that had been created by the surrounding people. His chest was heaving and he had a long red scratch on the side of his face. He was also bent awkwardly, as though Angel's blows had found their mark at least once. Still, he was smiling. And that alone was frightening.

"Keep your fucking hands off me," he instructed Roger, his English thick with a Spanish accent. Then Cordero turned to Angel, who had been forced to her knees by Collins. She was still struggling within his embrace, but he braced all of his strength against her and held fast.

"Stop making a damn fuss, fag, I'm not gonna waste my time with you," Cordero sneered. Angel became still, her breathing heavy and her eye narrowed with hatred. She had a blooming black eye, and a single drop of blood from her split lip had trailed down her chin. It left a pale red mark, as though Angel had used a pen to draw it on. Though she had stopped moving, Collins held tight, aware of how easy it would be for him to take him by surprise and rush Cordero again.

"I've got a message for you," Cordero said, speaking softly now. He walked slowly towards Angel, his stride limping. Angel noted it with angry pleasure.

"I've got a message, but you've fucking pissed me off, so I'm gonna let it wait until I see you again. And believe me," he whispered, crouching so close to Angel that she could smell his alcohol-soaked breath. "Believe me, I'll see you again."

"You bastard, I'll kill you if you ever look at me after this," Angel hissed under her breath, twisting slightly against Collins' arms. Mimi, near enough to hear what they were saying, drew in her breath sharply. All the bystanders were silent, either with confusion or with the understanding that something old, something deep and buried, was being violently uncovered.

Cordero laughed huskily, showing brownish teeth. "Just try, fag, just try. You couldn't do it before and you can't do it now. You're pathetic, a weak little faggot with only a grudge to hide behind. You're nothing…got it?" And with that, he spat in Angel's face.

"Hey!" Now Collins let go of Angel, moving past her to stand in front of Cordero. Cordero rose to his feet and smiled chillingly at Collins.

"Tell him to back off, fag, or I might just use him as a reminder about why you hate me so much," Cordero said loudly. Collins glared at him, fists clenching. He didn't know what Cordero said, but considering that Angel had just tried to send the guy to hospital, there seemed to be little doubt that he was not a virtuous person.

On the ground, Angel was still on her knees. When Collins had released her, she's stayed completely immobile, her body frozen. Now, hearing, Cordero's words, she got to her feet, ignoring the pain from her recent wounds. With the back of one hand, Angel wiped Cordero's spittle off her face. Her eyes stared at the ground, not focusing on anything.

"Tell him, fag…you know I mean what I say." Now there was a threat in Cordero's voice. Around them, the crowd of people was painfully tense. No one made a sound. They were all watching the exchange in the middle of the floor.

"Listen, you better—"

"Collins, leave it." Collins spun to gape at Angel, who was still seemingly in shock. Slowly, she shook her head. He mouthed at her, eyes flickering from her to Cordero and back again.

"But…but Angel—"

"I said leave it, all right?" Her tone was brittle and sharp. Collins ground his teeth together and obeyed, retreating behind Angel while glaring at the smirking Cordero. Angel finally looked up, her brown eyes meeting his black ones. Cordero nodded smugly.

"Smart move, fag. I'll be seeing you. And the little tramp over there as well," he said, jerking his thumb at Mimi. All eyes flew towards her and she half-shrank behind Maureen, who stepped protectively in front of her. Angel's gaze pierced his, her anger crackling dangerously.

"Leave her out of this."

"She got herself involved by knowing you. Nothing I can do." Cordero abruptly decided they were done, as he made evident by striding towards the door. People hurried out of his way, giving the impression that he was parting them like the sea. Just before he exited the restaurant, he turned and gave Angel a horrifying smile.

"Remember…I'll be seeing you. Both of you." And then he was gone into the street.

EESH! Now please review! Press the pretty blue (I think it's blue, not purple, but who really cares?) and review, por favor!
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