Chapter one

"Angel!" Wesley called coming down the stairs into Angel's house. "Angel! Are you here?" Wesley called again looking for him. Angel's house was actually a basement, beings how Angel was a vampire he liked the dark. As Wesley looked around he saw Angel's weapon cabinet, which held a few really nice swords that any collector would love to have. Wesley entered Angel's living room and saw him. Some how he'd managed to blend in with the room and Wesley didn't notice him at first. He was staring at a book, but his eyes weren't moving, he was simply staring. "Still sulking over Buffy and her new found "love"?" Wesley asked Angel as he turned on the light.

"I'm not sulking. I don't sulk. I brood." Angel retorted as he looked up at Wesley.

"So is that why you're still wearing the same clothes, and sitting in the same position, oh, and staring at the same page you were when I left, yesterday." asked Wesley with a sly grin.

"It's a good book." Angel said in a not so convincing way.

"Really? Is that so?" Wesley said with as much sarcasm as he could muster. "So just how interesting is... The complete works of Edgar Allen Poe." Wesley asked.

"Maybe it bothers me that she likes that, that, pompous." Angel said getting aggravated just thinking about it.

"I believe his name was Riley." Wesley said trying to figure out what Angel must be felling. Seeing Angel tense up as he said Riley's name, he sat down next to Angel. "You love her." Wesley said. "Yet," he added, "you left her, and..." before he could finish his sentence Angel was already getting defensive.

"I left so she could have a better life; after all, she deserves it." He said jumping to his feet so he could pace the room.

"Your right she does deserve it, but I think what you never took the time to think about is, if she could have it. And besides she's on her way to having a better life." Wesley said with one of those you-know-I'm-right-so-accept-it looks.

"Did you come down here to talk to me about love and stupid decisions, 'cause if you did I think I should bring up a certain high school student that you had a fling with, she goes by the name of Cordelia also know as Cordy." Angel said teasing Wesley about their little fling while Cordelia was in high school.

"Alright, alright, I can take a hint. I'll stay out of your business." Wesley replied.

"So, did you have something to tell me or did you just want to hang out?" Angel asked as he sat in a chair across from Wesley.

"There was a break in at the Los Angeles museum last night." replied Wesley.

"Sounds like something for the police." Angel said.

"There's more" he continued, "Three died, two little holes in there necks and all their blood was drained."

"Vampires." Angel said stating the obvious.

"Plus, they made a mess of the storage room. Police aren't sure if anything's missing yet, they're still going through the inventory." Wesley told Angel.

"Hey guys, what's up?" Cordelia said in a very perky mood as she came down the stairs.

"Someone's happy. What's with you?" Angel asked.

"Well, if you must know, which you must, Michel Powell called me." Cordelia said with a huge grin.

Simultaneously Angel and Wesley replied "Who's he?"

"He is one of LA's top casting directors. And he wants me to addition for an upcoming movie." Cordelia said barley able to contain her happiness.

"Congratulations, Cordy." Angel replied.

"How did he hear about you?" Wesley asked.

"Some friend of his, I think he said her name was Anne, or something." Cordelia stated obviously not very interested in the how. Cordelia took a moment to look around and noticed Angel and Wesley looked like they were in the middle of shop talk, and that Angel was still wearing the same clothes he was yesterday. "Still sulking I see." she said as she looked at Angel with her hands on her hips.

"I'm not sulking." Angel said not wanting to admit that he was, in fact, sulking.

"Right, whatever. So what's up you two have the we-have-work-to-do look on your faces?"

"Some vampires broke in to the museum and made a mess of things." Angel told her.

"They killed three guards." Wesley added.

"Did they steal anything?" Cordelia ask.

"Don't know." Angel started.

"There still going through inventory." Wesley finished as he handed her a newspaper.

"Wow! One of the guys that died was the son of the museum's curator, working the night shift to pay for collage." Cordelia said as she read the paper.

"Cordelia why don't you find out what was in the storage room and if they took anything." Angel instructed.

"Sure, um, how?" Cordy asked not sure where to get information.

"The net. Talk to some of the investigators." Angel said.

"What about me?" Wesley asked.

"There's a new gang of vamps in town. I want you to find out if they might have anything to do with the break in." Angel tolled him.

"What's with the proactive tude?" Cordelia asked Angel curious as to why he was so interested.

"Nothing, I just want to make sure it isn't something big." Angel said giving Cordy a look.

"Alright, let's get to work and let mister grumpy sulk." Cordelia said as she led the way up stairs.

"I'm not sulking!" Angel tolled her as she walked up the stairs to the main office.

"What are you going to do?" asked Wesley.

"Sulk." Angel said getting back to the book he was staring at. "Can you turn off the lights on your way out?" Angel asked Wesley as he was walking out of his office.

"Sure." Wesley said before heading upstairs.

Angel watched Wesley turn off the lights and shut the door. Looking back down at the book he held a picture of Buffy. She was wearing a white summer dress with flowers on it, and her hair was down over her shoulders. She was smiling. Angel missed her smile, and her voice, and her laugh, he missed everything about her. He could feel his unbeating heart break, it was true, he loved her more than words can say. He always has and he always will. How could I be so stupid to let you go? Angel thought to himself as he looked at the picture. He could see perfectly in the dark, and the dark is where he wanted to be, it represented how he felt: cold and alone.

"Why is Angel so upset, I mean he did leave Buffy not the other way around?" Cordelia asked Wesley as she checked the web for information on the museum.

"He loves her nothing can change that. I don't think he thought about how much he would miss her." Wesley answered.

"Well I personally am happy Buffy's out of the picture; she only brings trouble, besides Angel should be over her by now." Cordelia said obviously missing the point.

"He wont ever get over her, no matter how hard he tries. He loves her." Wesley said knowing Cordelia wouldn't get the fact that Angel loves Buffy. "Alright, I'm going to go try and find out whatever I can about this vampire gang... um group. I'll be back in an hour or so." Wesley said as her put his coat on and grabbed the keys to Angel's car.

"Did Angel say you could take his car?"

"No, but I doubt he's going anywhere. Alright I'll be back." Wesley said as he was heading out the door.

"I'll be here ...on the computer…by myself." Cordy said hinting to Wesley to invite her along.

"Do you want to come, Cordelia?" Wesley asked catching her hint, which wasn't very hard.

"Okay, where are we going?" Cordelia asked.

"The sewer." replied Wesley.

"On second thought, maybe you could drop me off at the police station." Cordelia said, avoiding the chance to go to the sewers.

"Sure, if you want." Wesley offered knowing Cordy would rather be any where than the sewer.

"Yeah, that'd be great, we'd better go." Cordelia said. Cordelia led the way to the car,

"Works every time." Wesley said under his breath with a smile.

Angel picked up the phone in his office and dialed Buffy's phone number. The phone rang three or four times before someone answered. "Hello?" it was Buffy's voice. Angel hung the phone up when he heard her voice. He leaned back in his chair and looked at her picture again. "This is so stupid. She's gonna figure out I'm the one calling." Angel said not speaking to anyone just thinking out load. Angel picked up the phone and dialed three digits before hanging up. Maybe latter. Yeah I'll call her in an hour or so.

Cordelia and Wesley turned the corner and parked in front of the police station. "Okay, Thanks I'll see you back at Angel's." Cordelia said.

"Okay, good luck."

"Yeah you too." Cordelia said as she got out of the car and walked to the building. Wesley drove away and in about ten minutes he was in front of a bar, he stepped out of the car and walked inside.

"Hi Devin." he said to an overweight guy in a dark corner.

"Ah! Wesley, long time, no see. How ya been?" the man asked.

"Good, yourself?" Wesley asked the man out of courtesy.

"Good let me guess your her about the break in right?" Devin asked.

"No, why is there something I should know?" Wesley asked curious as to why the man brought it up.

"It was vampires."

"Any chance it was a certain group of vampires, like say the group that just came to town?" Wesley asked getting to the point.

"So that's what this is about. I don't know, maybe, but I'm not sure." Devin answered.

"Do you know anything about them?" Wesley asked.

"They're a group, much like a gang; they have an initiation and very rarely do they let some one quit with out turning to dust. They just arrived about a week ago; they came from out of town from somewhere in Europe. That's about all I know, I can ask a few questions if you like. I'll find out anything and everything I can about them." Devin tolled him.

"That would be great the more we know on them the better." Wesley said. Wesley was about to stand up when Devin grabbed his arm.

"It would be safer to discuss whatever I find out some where more... private." Devin warned him.

"Angel's it'll be safe there. Come tonight, after sundown, if that's enough time for you?" Wesley offered.

"More than enough." Devin said as he got up.

"Do you have the address?" Wesley asked.

"No."

Wesley wrote it down on a napkin and gave it to Devin, "Here, I'll tell him your coming by."

"See you then." Devin said as he headed to the door followed by Wesley.

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