Title: One of those Days
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
Summary: Cordelia knew that it was going to be one of those days as soon as she saw the baby dragon flying around the Hyperion.
Feedback: Comments and helpful criticisms are always appreciated.
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Cordelia felt her jaw drop as stepped through the Hyperion's front doors. "What the hell?" she muttered as her gaze flew over the disaster zone that had replaced the hotel's main lobby.
"Angel?" she called out as she started down the stairs, her steps tentative as she made her way past upturned furniture and scorch marks. "Wesley? Gunn?"
"When there wasn't an answer, she glanced over at the wide-open weapons cabinet. There was a darkened area on its side that was emitting a faint stream of smoke, and several weapons seemed to have fallen from it onto the floor. "Why does this place fall apart whenever I take a day off?" she grumbled as she headed for the cabinet.
Halfway across the room, she heard a growling sound coming from above her. She froze mid-step and looked upward, her eyes widening as she caught sight of the sound's source. "Terrific," she managed to choke out as she dove behind an overturned chair.
A stream of flames hit the exact spot where she had been standing, and she stared at the smoking floor for several seconds after the fire had died away. "Well, this isn't good," she whispered as she turned her gaze from the scorched floor to the winged creature hovering in above her.
"That's what I've been saying since last night," a familiar voice said from behind her.
Cordelia spun her head around, and she let out a relieved sigh when she saw Angel kneeling behind another chair several yards away from her. "God, I thought you were a pile of dust somewhere."
As she stared at him, the relieved expression on her face quickly faded into one of suspicion. "Why didn't you answer me when I called out?" she demanded.
"Because the dragon likes to shoot fireballs at people when they move or get too loud," Angel shot back, gesturing toward a charred piece of cloth lying several feet away. "That used to be my jacket."
Cordelia shook her head in irritation, but there was a hint of curiosity on her face as she glanced upward again. "Isn't it a little small for a dragon?" she asked.
"Not if it's an infant," Angel replied with more than a little exasperation in his voice.
"Well, excuse me," she said heatedly, her voice rising in volume as she went on. "It's not my fault that I'm not an expert on dragons. Pretty much everything I know on them comes from Dawn telling us about that Hoppit book every time she ended up with us in the library."
"It's called The Hobbit," Angel correctly automatically, his eyes on the small creature flying in a circle above them. "And you might want to move."
Not even bothering to ask why, Cordelia pushed herself to her feet -- though she still stooped down as low as she could -- and darted over to where Angel was sitting. Behind her, the chair she had been hiding behind suddenly went up in flames.
"How did a baby dragon wind up in the hotel?" she gasped out as she turned her gaze toward the flaming piece of furniture. "And where are Wes and Gunn?"
"They aren't here yet," Angel answered, his eyes drifting toward the weapons cabinet.
Cordelia nodded, and then she stared at the vampire expectantly. When he didn't answer her previous question, however, she cleared her throat pointedly and gave him a threatening look.
"Someone delivered a package last night," Angel finally answered with some reluctance, "and I didn't realize that the object inside was a dragon egg until it began to crack."
She stared at him. "How could you not recognize a dragon egg?"
Angel shrugged sheepishly as he shot one more regretful look at the weapons cabinet on the other side of the room. "They aren't exactly common," he replied. "I don't even think they exist in this dimension anymore, not unless someone brings them through a portal."
"Someone being a lawyer from the ever loveable Wolfram & Hart?"
Angel merely shrugged again, but the look on his face let her know that he agreed with her. Before either of them had a chance to say anything else, though, the sound of a door opening caught their attention. Both of them looked toward the doorway just as the door opened.
Gunn walked in the door, laughing. "I still say--"
He trailed off as he saw the room. "What the hell?"
"Good lord," Wesley said as he pushed past Gunn.
Angel met Cordelia's gaze, and her eyes widened as she read what he was planning in them. She glared at him, and a warning expression appeared on her face. "Don't you even think--"
"Grab a weapon and watch out for the dragon!" Angel called out as he suddenly jumped up and threw himself as far as he could from the chair they had been cowering behind.
"Sure," Cordelia muttered, rolling her eyes as she dove in the opposite direction, "warn them about the dragon when they're still in the doorway."
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"If I never see a dragon again, it will be too soon," Angel said, collapsing into one of the charred chairs.
"Way too soon," Gunn agreed firmly as he dropped down onto the floor.
Leaning against the wall, Wesley shook his head. "You do realize that it's very unlikely any of us will see another dragon," he said with a bittersweet smile. "This was most likely a once-in-a-lifetime experience."
"I still don't think we should have sent it back to Wolfram & Hart," Cordelia muttered under her breath. "Even if it's going to be hilarious when that thing pops out of a box marked 'ancient texts.'"
"Don't worry, Cordy," Angel said with a slight smile. "I'm pretty sure that they won't use it on us again. Dragons are extremely hard to control once they've hatched. The only way they'd be able to use it against us is if they wanted to destroy the entire city, and there's no way that they'd do that."