Disclaimer: I do NOT own anything here. Simple enough for you?
Author's notes/dedication: For Simon, who bugs me constantly for fics, this one is for you, even if it is a bit crap! The timeline may be a bit screwed up but it was done from memory. Un Beta'd so any mistakes are mine.
A year of memories.
It was the anniversary of his death today, two years and it still didn't heal. Angel knew this as he sat brooding in the dark in his office. Cordelia was in the front of the office he could see her idly flipping through a file, her long brown curly hair no longer fell in her face, and she never brushed it back with that expression of long time annoyance. He wasn't even supposed to be in this office, this was Wesley's office now, but The Hyperion was just too large.
He got up from the leather seat and went upstairs into the room he had occupied in the early 50's, he switched on the light and searched in the boxes of things that hadn't been damaged by the fire when Wesley was hurt and Cordy in an almost coma. After a while he found what he was looking for and went back down to Wes' office and slotted it into the recorder and pressed play, sitting down in that lovely leather chair again.
"Cordelia, are you alright?" Wesley leant on the counter his posture stiff and concerned. "Hmm? I'm fine." They fell into silence as Cordy looked down at her hands and then back up at Wesley, the pain was evident in her eyes, she was feeling guilty for shutting angel in the office. Wesley's eyes darted to the office and a faint murmur could be heard.
Gunn turned form his position on the floor, polish cloth in one hand his axe in the other and lifted his eyebrows. The three of them walked towards the office and peeked through the slit in the door.
"Our rats are low." "Rates!" "It says rats." Cordy let out a gasp and Angel swivelled around, he had been so wrapped up in his grief that he had not sensed the group come in. There were tear tracks on his cheeks and his eyes were red and puffy, he didn't bother wiping the tears away.
"Angel?" Wesley asked no longer holding the pretence of being angry with the Vampire. "English." Gunn laid his hand on Wes' back, he turned and the three men watched Cordelia, she had walked over to the TV and put her hand on the screen trying to reach the man on the tape who had come to mean to much to both her and Angel.
"That's it? Am I done?" "No." Cordelia turned and stood in front of Angel. "How could you let me forget?" she asked her voice small but strong, her hands shaking as she griped Angel and pulled him into a hug. "I'm sorry Cordy." "We're family Angel. Doyle will never be gone as long as we stick together." Angel stroked her hair and chuckled, "I hate your hair."
Wesley and Gunn stood to the side watching the pair embrace. Wesley remembered the day they had all recovered and finally translated the shanshu scroll, and Cordelia's words "We're family now." Gunn noticed the shift in Wesley and moved his hand to cover the scar from the bullet wound, it had been known to pain Wesley sometimes.
"So, what's the history of you lot really? Coz I'm getting the feeling I don't know anything about this." His arm was firmly around Wesley when he said this and Wesley squirmed slightly under the eyes of his colleagues.
"We're family." Cordelia said happily reaching out and snatching Wesley's hand, "Dysfunctional and freaky but family." She squeezed it gently.
They each pulled up a chair and Angel began with the day he met Whistler the subsequent tales of Buffy, which Cordelia and Wesley chipped in on, the curse, moving to Los Angeles and the rest they say is history.