Author's Note: This doesn't really take place anywhere, I just felt like writing it. I thought it would be cute. Hopefully y'all agree. =;-)
A DAY LIKE ANY OTHER
Lorne had not felt this exhausted in a long time, and it was too much to ask for him to try to recall when that last time had actually been. He plodded up the steps to the front entrance of the Hyperion Hotel, the home he shared with Angel, Fred, Gunn, Wesley, Cordelia, and most recently, Connor. Lorne feebly pulled the heavy door open and continued to plod through the foyer.
Fred looked up from the book she was studying. She was wearing a short-sleeved floral print blouse and a long lavender coloured skirt. Fred's face brightened when she saw Lorne. "Welcome back, Lorne. We were worried you wouldn't make it back for Angel's surprise."
"That's why I hurried back, Fredikins. But now, as much as I'd love to stay and chat, I really need to hit the hay. Goodnight, Sweetheart."
"Sweet dreams," she returned.
Lorne awoke the next day feeling better than renewed. He hummed Aretha Franklin as he showered, preparing to take on the day. And what a beautiful day it would be because today Cordelia and Fred were throwing a surprise party for Angel, to let him know that he was appreciated, despite being unknown to the public at large, which he spent his time protecting.
Lorne poured shampoo into his palm, and the humming abruptly stopped. He blinked, closed his eyes tightly, looked again. It made no difference, however. His skin had changed colour while he'd showered. In lieu of the familiar lime green, his skin was now a pale pink. He dropped the shampoo bottle, so he could hold both hands out in front of him. Both were the same pale pink. He looked down at himself. Shock was replaced with wonder and trace amounts of glee.
Lorne was human!
He retrieved the shampoo, resumed humming, and completed his shower. He then dressed hastily, throwing on a peacock blue suit and pale orange shirt. He descended the stairs, grinning broadly. "Mornin' everyone!"
One by one, Cordelia, Gunn, Wesley, then Fred looked up. Angel and Connor were not presently present.
"Who are you?" Cordelia asked.
"How did you get in here?" Gunn rose from his seat. Whoever this man was, he could be a threat.
"Why are you wearing Lorne's favourite suit?" Fred inquired, wrinkling her nose. It took a very strange person to wear someone else's clothes.
"Guys, it's me! Lorne! Only, well, more human, less creature of the night-ish." He twirled slowly to give them a better look at the new him. "Isn't it great? I can't wait to hit the town in my new skin." He clapped his hands together eagerly. "Who wants to go shopping? Or bowling! Or…anything? Guys? What's wrong?"
"Prove it," Wesley stated.
"Prove what?"
"That you're really Lorne."
"Aw, Wes, you're always the skeptical one. Alright, what do you want me to do?"
"You have to do a reading."
"Goody. Who's up?"
Nervous glances were exchanged; no one wanted to sing.
"Spoilsports," Fred grumbled. "Um…Tale as old as time, true as it can be. Barely even friends, then somebody bends unexpectedly. Just a little change, small to say the least. Both a little scared, neither one prepared. Beauty and the Beast."
"Don't worry, Fred, chocolate cake is fine."
She smiled, as if a giant weight had been lifted from her shoulders. "Oh good, 'cause that's the mix I bought."
"You could have got that from going in the kitchen," Gunn protested.
Lorne sighed. "All right, fine. I also see burnt toast, and the freezer is no longer frozen."
"Oh no! The ice cream'll melt!" Cordelia's hands flew to her mouth.
"Keep him here," Wesley said. "I'll go check the freezer."
"How did this happen?" Cordelia asked. "Why aren't you…you, anymore?"
Lorne shrugged.
"How long will it last?" Gunn sat back down.
Lorne shrugged again.
"Well, I think it's good—great, even." Fred declared.
"Thanks, Fred,"
"It's like a new lease on life, you get to start over, make new, possibly not demon friends, hang out in public places during regular business hours. These are all good things."
"I know! And it's incredible," he agreed happily. At least one of his friends understood.
Angel emerged from the office. "What's incredible?"
"Me!" Lorne twirled again.
"Who are—oh, Lorne."
The former demon nodded.
"Well, that is pretty incredible. So, uh, how did this come about?"
Lorne plopped down on the couch next to Cordelia. "Well, last night I went to read a really nice lady named Elaine. She must have cast a spell on me to show her gratitude. I mean, the woman is a peach, but talk about not knowing which witch is which, if you know what I mean." He shook his head, smiling. "Well, I'm going for a stroll. Catch ya later."
Fred followed him, and even held the door open. "You will be back in time for the you-know-what, right?"
"Wouldn't miss it for the world, Custard." Lorne kissed her on the cheek, then went on his merry way.
Wesley returned, saying, "I moved the ice cream into the other freezer, but I didn't see any burnt toast."
Fred looked sheepish. "That's because it's in the trash. It was a part of my breakfast this morning."
"Oh."
Lorne inhaled deeply, knowing it was silly to feel this elated, but he could not suppress it. Fred was right, he definitely believed that this was a second chance, a chance to be human in a human world. No more skulking in the shadows, or using glamours to hide his true appearance from those who would be frightened by him. Now there was just Lorne. He imagined the look on his mother's face if she ever saw him like this, and laughed out loud.
Lorne came to a coffee shop, and decided to go inside. He stood in line, just like the other six patrons, and not an eye turned in his direction. He loved it. He ordered a mocha latté with extra whipped cream, and sat down at a table to enjoy his beverage. He sat there for thirty minutes, watching as people came and went, not watching him back. It was liberating.
A group of giggly teenage girls entered the shop, and Lorne could have sworn the blonde had winked at him. He smiled inwardly, drinking the last of his latté. Then Lorne got up and walked outside.
He strolled down the street. He had two hours before he had to be back at the Hyperion. Lorne intended to enjoy this for as long as it lasted. He decided to pick up some junk food; he had learned that they were lacking in the potato chip department when he had read Fred. And then he was going to buy a new suit.
One hour and thirty-six minutes later, Lorne returned to the hotel, feeling much different than he had the night before. He smiled as he entered, seeing Cordelia taping streamers to the front of the desk.
"Oh, good, you're back. Can ya help Fred and Gunn in the kitchen?"
"Of course." Lorne left his bags of chips near the stairs, then ran upstairs to change into the jeans and t-shirt he had bought. He then returned for the chips, and went down to the kitchen.
"Hey, Lorne," Fred greeted him.
"Oh, right. The new you is harder to get used to than I would have thought." Gunn almost sounded apologetic.
"It's all right, Gunn. You'll get used to me. Assuming it lasts."
"You don't think it'll last?" Fred asked.
"Well, I just don't want to get my hopes up, is all."
Fred nodded. "Yeah, I guess that's best."
Lorne set the chips on the counter, then asked what they need him to do. "Cordy said to help you guys in the kitchen, so put me to work."
"We haven't dug any cutlery out yet."
"Cutlery it is. Where's Angel while all this is going down?"
"Connor took him out on patrol. They'll be back in less than half an hour, though. We can't have a party without the guest of honour," Gunn replied.
"Absolutely not,"
Cordelia crouched next to the door, watching for the first signs that Angel and Connor were returning from their patrol. They were already twenty minutes late, but that was to be expected when the unknown factored in: It was unknown whether or not Angel and Connor would find anything amiss while they were on patrol.
"They're coming! They're coming!" Cordelia hurried to join the others behind the desk.
As soon as the lights came on, they all jumped up with a joyous "Surprise!" on their lips. Angel smiled at each of them. It faltered when he saw Lorne, but returned as soon as memory kicked in.
"What's going on?" Angel wondered.
"We decided we didn't tell you how appreciated you are often enough, so we threw a little something together," Fred explained.
"Awwwwww…You guys didn't have to do this for me," the vampire with a soul was actually blushing.
"I beg to differ." Cordelia shook her head.
"It is well deserved, Angel. You've done a lot of good. You fight the good fight," Wesley admitted.
"Thanks, Wes. It means a lot coming from you."
Wesley shrugged.
"I vote we partake in cake. Who's with me?" Gunn suggested.
That night, Lorne fell asleep with a grin on his face. It had been a good day.
When Lorne awoke the next morning, he was not sure what to expect. He opened his eyes, but didn't feel any different. Then again, he had not noticed becoming human yesterday morning, either. It had just happened. He reached up to scratch behind his ear, and was relieved to see that his skin was still pale pink. He smiled and headed for the shower.
It was while he was rinsing off the soap that Lorne realized he was green again. With a disappointed sigh, he turned off the water.
Lorne dressed, and headed down to the lobby.
"Hey, Lorne." Cordelia smiled at him.
"Morning,"
"You okay?"
He shrugged. "Maybe in a few days, and after a lot of leftover cake."
She nodded in understanding, but Lorne could not imagine that she did.
"Good day, Lorne," Wesley greeted him.
"Hey, Wes,"
"Lorne! You're, well, you again," Fred observed.
Lorne spread his arms in dismay. "Sure looks like it."
She patted him on the shoulder. "Maybe Elaine will cast the spell again sometime, if you ask her to."
Lorne smiled meekly. That had never occurred to him, and he wondered if Elaine would indeed be willing to do such a thing for him. They could even come to an arrangement, where he read her on a more regular basis. "Thanks, Fred. It's something to think about."
"Okay, you're welcome."
He turned to go find some breakfast.
"Hey, Lorne?"
"Yes, Precious?"
"I just think you should know that being human isn't all it's cracked up to be. And even though we acted a little funny around you yesterday, it's not because we didn't like the new you. It's just that, well, we like you just the way you are. Green and horned and everything. So, don't let this get you bummed out, okay?"
Lorne nodded. "I'll keep that in mind, Sweetie. Really, thanks, Hon."
Fred smiled, then went to help Wesley with his research. The demon that had delayed Angel and Connor's arrival the night before was not one the vampire had encountered before, and now they were trying to learn everything they could about it.
Lorne ate his breakfast in contemplative silence. He had appreciated what Fred had said, but he still felt that none of his friends truly understood how he felt about not fitting in a culture he loved to observe. Observing wasn't always enough, and for one day he had participated. And he wanted to participate again. Maybe after breakfast he would make that call to Elaine, after all.
THE END
So, did y'all like it? Pleeeease leave me a review, and let me know what you think! TTFN.