You're My Angel
By Angel Innocence
"No, you just don't understand. Coffee wakes you up. It-it enlightens you! Tea just makes you lazy and sleepy. While coffee, on the other hand, gives you energy!" Cordelia punched her fist in the air emphatically.
Wesley shook his head. "No, no, I'm sorry Cordelia, but coffee just gives you a temporary sort of boost. Tea gives you a long-lasting comfort," Wesley said, sounding like a bad Tylenol commercial.
Cordelia rolled her eyes. She turned to Angel. "Will you please tell this-this tea freak that coffee is the only way to go?" "Ah, Angel, I'm sure you'll understand that tea overrules coffee by a large percentile?" Wesley countered.
Angel simply raised his eyebrows as if to say, Oh, you want my opinion now?
"Angel?" Cordelia demanded. She threw up her hands. "Fine. Fine. Whatever. As long as we're all on the same page, even if some of us are in denial about it-" she shot a look at Wesley, "that's all that matters." She smiled and walked out of the room.
Wesley sighed and leaned against the desk, rubbing his forehead. "What do you really think?" he asked Angel. "About the coffee vs. tea? I prefer coffee, myself. But tea is good, too," Angel added hastily.
Wesley shook his head vehemently. "About Cordelia. How do you think she's doing?"
Angel sighed. Losing Harmony had been hard on her, no doubt, no matter how much she tried to pretend it didn't. Wesley didn't seem to mind, he'd hated Harmony from the start. And after all, it wasn't like she was dead or something.
Wait.
Scratch that, Angel noted. It wasn't like she was dusted.
Well, you can't have it all. Angel sighed again.
"Stop that," Wesley commanded. Angel looked up, surprised. "What?" "That sighing. It's quite unsettling." "Sorry." Angel frowned. "So?" "So what?" Wesley let out a whoosh of air, exasperated. "What do you think about Cordelia?" Wesley said again, spelling it out for him.
"Oh." Angel thought. "I think she's doing well." "Do you?" Wesley seemed slightly surprised. Angel nodded. "I mean, she can't be too bad if she's already starting an argument with you about whether coffee is better than tea."
That got a smile even from Wesley. "I suppose you're right," he agreed. "I just worry about her sometimes."
"I do too," Angel responded.
There was a moment of silence. Then, "Well, I must be off. I promised Veronica I'd bring her the books she wanted today. Gunn should be back soon, he's out visiting Michael." Wesley gathered up some papers and a large, encyclopedia-like book from the shelf and left.
Angel sat back and glanced at the police report in front of him. Kate had sent it over, with a note saying it looked right up his alley. The report was a murder of two sixteen-year old boys living on the streets. When the police reached them, they found all of the air simply sucked out of them. Their lungs were empty, and there was no blood or physical harm.
Except, of course, the lack of oxygen thing.
Angel frowned. He didn't have a clue what to do.