Guise Will be Guise

Part One

Wesley walked through the Lobby of the Hyperion, reading an open folder as he went about his tasks. He tried to open the desk drawer without looking, his nose still buried in his reading material, but it was stuck fast. He looked up and yanked harder. Nothing. He yanked again. Nothing. One final yank and the whole drawer came free, the force of it sending him flying backwards and landing on the floor. Papers cascaded through the air and down to the ground, surrounding him where he lay. He grimaced and then placed the drawer on top of the desk, before bending down and beginning to retrieve all the scattered paper work.

A man entered the lobby and stepped up to the counter. 'Hello?' Wesley tried to straighten up to greet the newcomer, but as he stood he managed to bash his head against the underside of the desk. He swore under his breath and then attempted to stand up again, rubbing the sore spot on the back of his head. 'How can I help you?'

'Where is he?'

'Angel? I'm afraid he's rather out at the moment. I'm his associate, is there something I can do for you?'

The man looked unimpressed. 'Yeah, you can tell me where the boss is. It's kinda urgent.'

'Oh we specialise in urgent,' Wesley leaned on the counter top, wanting to know more. 'Life and death is it?'

'It could get kinda rough,' admitted the guy, 'which is why we need someone with Angel's special abilities.'

'I understand perfectly. Why don't you fill me in and -'

'You got any special abilities?' the guy interrupted, looking Wesley up and down, sizing him up. The watcher stood up straight, stretching himself to his full height and considered his own prowess. 'Well I dare say - a few.'

'You a creature of the night?'

'No,' he admitted. 'But I used to be a rogue demon hunter, so I know how to take care of myself.' He stepped back, away from the front desk and his foot immediately landed one of the loose sheets of paper he had dropped earlier. It moved as his foot pushed it, making him skid. He went down backwards, landing right on his backside, hard. The tough guy just looked at him; sat on the floor, blinking in astonishment, surrounded by dropped paper. 'Yeah, you're real scary,' the guy said, before turning to leave. 'Tell your boss that if he doesn't want to lose customers he shouldn't be fobbing clients off with the secretary.' He walked out of the building.

'That's associate,' Wesley called after him. He sighed and stood up, just as Cordelia came rushing down the staircase. She looked at him gathering the sheets from the floor. 'What are you doing?' she asked.

'Ah - falling down, knocking things over, driving away business - you know the usual.'

'Well I've found him - and we need to stop him before it's too late. I need you to put on a suit. Doyle's upstairs changing into his…' she laughed a little. 'I had to find him, everything - you know he doesn't even own a tie? God alone knows what he'll -' a noise on the stairs announced Doyle's presence, and she turned around to look at him, as he descended wearing the full suit and tie. Wesley gave her an odd look as she seemed to make a noise that sounded like nothing so much as a feral growl in her throat - 'look like,' she finished off, sounding a little light headed.

Doyle joined them in the lobby, pulling awkwardly at his tight collar. 'I look stupid,' he announced.

'You really really don't,' Cordelia told him.

'Is my tie OK?' he asked, fussing with the offending item. 'I haven't worn a tie since high school - I think I've forgotten how to fasten one.'

'Why did you wear a tie to school?' Cordelia asked, as she straightened it out, patting him on the chest once she was done. 'How much of a loser were you? I bet the girls really went for that.'

'Um - it was part of the uniform so I had to wear it. And it was an all boys school.'

'What? Did you go to school on a different planet?'

'No - just in a different country. Do I really look OK?'

'You look a lot more than OK - no one will be able to tell that you're not supposed to be there.' She was struggling to take her eyes off him. Wesley cleared his throat, awkwardly. 'Wesley. Clothes. Changed. Now.' She never looked away from Doyle, as she barked her orders, and Wesley hurried off to do as she said. Under her appreciative and intense gaze, Doyle shuffled his feet a little, awkwardly, and smiled in embarrassment.

Down in the sewers, Angel and Gunn found what they were looking for. 'Here it is,' Angel said, 'this is where me and Doyle broke in last time.' he took out the magnetic clamps from last time and attached them to the circle that Doyle had cut out with the blow torch over six months before. 'I knew if we put this thing back in they'd never find it.'

'Good job no one stepped on it and fell on down into the sewers.'

'A Wolfram and Hart lawyer? I could've lived with that.'

'You're all heart, man.'

Angel shushed his young associate and then used his vampire hearing to check if the corridor above was clear. A security guard was pacing the hall, and the vampire waited until he had walked away, before pulling down on the clamps and removing the circular part of the ceiling. He and Gunn crawled up into the basement of the law firm, and made their way to the higher levels.

As they stepped out into the ground floor corridor, they saw three lawyers down the other end, heads bent together. 'Just walk past,' Angel whispered. 'Don't say anything don't make eye contact, don't move too fast. Just keep going.'

The pair of them sauntered, nonchalantly, past the attorneys and made their way to the elevators that went up to the higher offices. They stepped into the first one that arrived but, just as the door was closing, a briefcase was placed in between the door and the wall, jamming it. The two men inside the elevator looked on in alarm, and we're relieved when the briefcase was quickly followed up by Wesley, Cordelia, and Doyle.

'What are you three doing here?' Angel asked, as he pulled them inside the elevator.

'Wait a minute - you three were the lawyers we were just hiding from?' Gunn asked. 'How'd you get in here?'

'Through the door!' Cordelia told him, pulling out a pair of glasses that were just frames and putting them on her face. 'Hello! Lawyer!' she grinned. She made one hot attorney. Angel pushed the 'up' button, his secretary immediately reached out and pressed the 'open' button. The doors slid open again, and the elevator waited. 'You are not going up there!' she told Angel.

He pressed up again, and waited for the doors to close once more. 'No. No. I have to do this. I have to find her...where they have her...'

'Still with the Darla thing?' Cordelia was exasperated. She re pressed the 'open' button.

'Angel, man, you gotta snap outta this!' Doyle told him. Angel gave his small friend an odd look, he had never seen Doyle in a suit before - he looked - different. 'This isn't healthy, bud. They want you crazy. Why are you lettin' them win?'

'Did you encourage this?' Wesley asked Gunn, looking at him accusatorily. But the younger man just shrugged. 'Hey, I'm just here for the ride.'

Angel pressed the up button.

Cordelia pressed open. 'Gonna be a pretty short ride,' she said, 'they have vamp detectors.'

'And a pretty extensive security service - I might add,' Doyle agreed. 'Remember all the trouble we went to last time to break in here? And now - what - you just waltz in through the door without a care in the world?'

'It's cool,' Gunn told them. 'He's got a plan.'

'Oh, A plan?' Wesley said, sarcastically - looking at Angel, expectantly, as he waited to hear more. 'Yeah,' Angel replied, pushing up. 'I get to the offices before they stop me.'

'See,' Gunn said, nodding his head. Then his brain caught up with his ears, as he digested the information the vampire had just given them. 'What?' his head whipped around so he could eyeball Angel. 'That was the plan? Walking real fast was the plan?'

Cordelia pressed open. 'Angel! Listen to yourself you're all insane and angry and -' Angel pressed up - 'Insane! You need help!'

'She's right, man.'

'I'm not insane and I'm not angry.'

Cordelia pressed open. This time, though, when the doors slid apart there was a security guard stood outside - waiting. He flicked a switch, and a stake concealed in his nightstick sprung outwards. Angel grabbed hold of it, twisted the man's arm around and then impaled the guard in the foot with his own stake. The guard screamed out in pain. Doyle and Cordelia flinched, Wesley winced and looked away.

'Man that's nasty,' Gunn said, looking down at the security guard in disgust. The group swept out of the elevator, walking past the injured man on the floor. 'Maybe I am a little angry,' Angel said as they headed for the door. Cordelia shook her head, 'maybe?' But as she left the law offices, she slid her arm through Doyle's and grinned at him. 'You know all this insanity has been worth it just to see you in that suit. Promise you'll wear it when we finally go on our date?'

'You really like this look, darlin'?'

'Yuhuh - you look totally hot.' Doyle looked very pleased with himself, when he heard her words, and his walk took on something of a swagger. 'Then I guess I'll wear it on our date.'

Two Japanese business men stood on the stage at Caritas, singing 'I Got You Babe' - not especially in tune. The four living members of team Angel sat at a table near the front, enjoying cocktails and watching the show. Gunn was gazing around at the assortment of creatures that populated the other tables, his eyes followed a horned demon that crossed in front of them, sat down at the neighbouring table and then used the candle sat in the middle of his table as a cigarette lighter. 'OK. What I want to know is: how'd I live in L.A all my life and not notice weird ass stuff goin' on?'

'Oh the ass is weirder than you think,' Cordelia told him, sliding a cherry off a cocktail stick and popping it in her mouth.

'Yep. demon's frequenting karaoke bars is only the tip o' the iceberg.'

'There's more weird?' Gunn asked, 'cause horned monsters enjoying a bit of Sonny and Cher is about as far out as I can imagine going.'

'They do more than just enjoy the singing, bud,' Doyle replied.

'Come again?'

'The Host - that green fellow talking to Angel over there-' Wesley pointed in the direction of the bar, indicating the charismatic demon that ran Caritas, 'reads demon's souls, auras - puts them on their path.'

'But he can only do it when they sing Karaoke,' Cordelia finished up.

...

Over at the bar, the Host was drinking a Sea Breeze and having a quiet conversation with the vampire with a soul. He was both surprised and relieved to find Angel back in his club, seeking his advice. 'I thought maybe I'd seen you walk out here for the last time,' The green skinned demon said. 'You doing OK?'

'Yeah ...yeah.' There wasn't any conviction behind Angel's words, and his expression belied the truth of them. The Host raised his painted on eyebrow. 'How about once more with less feeling?' he asked. Angel shuffled, awkwardly, glancing down at his shoes, and re positioned himself against the bar before he answered. 'I guess I'm a little -ah - uhm - rocky.'

'You're Rocky. And Rocky II. And half of the one with Mr. T. Tell me about it.'

I just - I I feel this… like -I have to do something - and If I don't let it out I'll explode, and then - when I do something - it feels, ah - maybe, maybe this is it. I…' the vampire hung his head and mumbled the next part. 'I'll sing if I have to.'

...

'So the question is,' Doyle said, draining his Margarita, 'what will our boy be favourin' us with this evening? Pony up guys and place your bets.' He, Wesley and Cordelia all rooted into their wallets and brought out a five dollar bill, each, which they placed on the table.

'Hang on a mo,' Gunn interrupted, watching them in incredulity, 'are you really sayin' that -'

'Sure thing, bud. Ladies first - Cordelia, what's your guess for this evenin'?'

Cordelia wrinkled up her nose as she thought. 'Well, this is all about work, right? Getting the job done? So my five bucks says 'working nine til five' by Dolly Parton.'

'Good call,' Doyle said, nodding sagely, 'but maybe it's a little fast? The big guy loves himself a ballad. This is all about his obsession with Darla - so it's gonna be a love song, and it's gonna be a slowy. My guess is 'when a man loves a woman,' Percy Sledge.'

'My money is on something by Elvis,' Wesley said.

Cordelia snorted: 'The King himself, that's so Angel!' The British man nodded his agreement. 'Exactly, Mr. Tall, Dark and Hair gel has minor delusions of grandeur. I'm going to split the difference between the two of you - love song about Darla, but nice and fast to work off his excess energy - 'The Devil in Disguise'.'

'Nice,' Doyle nodded his approval, then he turned to the newest member of their team. 'So, what'll it be? A quick tip, as you're a newbie - the champ loves himself a bit of Manilow.'

'Wait are you guys really sayin? Is Angel gonna sing?' The other three all looked at him, grinning and nodding their heads. 'Aw man, is Angel gonna sing?'

...

'You don't have to sing,' the Host told the vampire. 'A break for you, a break for me and a break for Mr. Manilow.'

'OK, If you're sure.' Angel sounded relieved, but not necessarily convinced.

'I am, Angelito,' the Host told him. 'There's something you're forgetting in all this, big guy. I'm not your guide. I'm not the one who is a PTB approved mentor sent specifically to help you find your path.' He nodded over to where the group of Angel's associates sat, laughing and drinking, as they waited for Angel to sing. 'Old Irish eyes over there is the one who's very purpose in this world is to keep you on the straight and narrow. It's him you need to be looking to in all this - not me.'

'Doyle? But what does he know?'

'Nothing! That's not the point. His mission is making sure you complete your mission. Stick with him, listen to him - he'll see you right. Now I know a place, the two of you can go there - it's right up his alley- spend some time, regroup - come back refreshed and back on the path.' The demon took out a notepad and scribbled an address on it and handed it over to Angel. The vampire glanced at it. 'Tijuana?' He asked in surprise. 'You want me and Doyle to go to Tijuana?'

The bartender walked up and handed the Host a fresh Sea Breeze, taking away his old glass.

'It's a break. Put some clear blue water between you and this whole Darla thing and reconnect with your friend. You'll come back a new man.' He raised his Sea Breeze to his lips and took a sip as he watched the small group of demon fighters sat around the table, laughing and having fun. Doyle had slipped his arm around Cordelia and joined in with the Japanese business men - just for a single line: 'I got you babe.' The Host sighed, deeply. 'Take this time with Doyle, Angelcakes, enjoy it. You're not the only one with dark powers lining up against you right now - there's a rough road ahead for our little lucky charm.'

'Doyle? Is in danger? Will he be OK?'

'His path is unclear right now - if his friends stick by him, then -maybe, maybe it can all be averted. The question is: can you be there for him, big guy? Can you put this Darla nonsense behind you in order to concentrate on what really matters? Or will you let him suffer alone?'

The two men up on stage, finished their song and the Host slapped his big smile back on his face. 'Lovely! That was cher-rrific, boys!'

Angel headed over to his friends. 'We're going,' he told them, 'I don't have to sing.'

'Oh Thank God!' Cordelia exclaimed, Angel looked at her in annoyance and she backpedalled 'I - I mean for your sake, 'cause you don't like to do that.'

The two demons took to the freeway, it was deserted and Angel pressed the pedal right down to the metal. It was about a three and a half hour drive to Tijuana - they hoped to be there in two.

Cordelia and Wesley were back at the hotel, tidying up the papers that he had scattered on the floor early that morning. 'They should be back tomorrow night,' Cordelia said, as she shuffled through the loose sheets, trying to restore some kind of order. 'Doyle said the address was for some kind of demon bar and sweat lodge combo. He likes the sound of the bar - though he's less impressed with the sweating part. I figure they'll get there tonight - Doyle'll talk Angel out of being all crazy and then they'll wait til after sunset tomorrow to drive back.'

'You're not worried about what Doyle might get up to on the streets of Tijuana, during the day, when Angel can't be there to keep an eye on him?'

'I'm sure even Doyle can't make enough enemies in one night that he'll need constant vampire protection - and he's doing much better with the drinking thing. He should be OK.' She took some of the papers into Angel's office and, seizing the opportunity of her surly boss being absent, sat down in his big chair and began to spin. 'Hey! Look at me, I'm Angel!' she cried, her face lit up by her massive smile.

'He doesn't generally spin that much,' Wesley pointed out to her. She put her foot down on the ground to stop the spinning. 'You're right,' she agreed, 'this is Angel.' She picked up one of his old pretentious books and pretended to read it, furrowing her forehead to make her expression pensive and brooding. 'Oh, no. I can't do anything fun tonight. I have to count my past sins, then alphabetise them. Oh by the way I'm thinking of snapping on Friday.' Wesley suppressed a smile and Cordelia reverted back to her brilliant beam. 'You know I love Angel and all,' she told her British coworker, 'but, boy am I glad that it's Doyle that got lumbered with the babysit and handhold - and not me.'

The convertible cruised down the Avenida Revolucion, before turning off and wending its way to a seedier, less vibrant part of town. They pulled up outside a small bar, and Doyle checked the address against the note the Host had scribbled. 'I guess this is it,' he said.

They entered through the saloon doors and were greeted with the sight of scores of demons, of all varieties, sitting in the smoke filled room at tables, propping up the bar or playing pool. One scaly, purplish creature with curved horns was trying to get the jukebox to work. 'This place isn't a sanctuary, Like Caritas,' Angel warned, as they made their way to the bar. 'These demons can fight in here, so be careful and don't start anything.'

'When do I ever cause trouble?' Doyle protested.

They reached the bar and Angel signalled the bartender. This guy was almost human looking, but his skin was red and he had small horns at either temple. 'What can I get you boys?' he asked.

'Um - a beer and - do you have O positive?' Angel asked.

'Sure thing, pig's?' the guy replied, 'or I can do you a glass of fruity capybara.'

'Uh- Pig's is fine'

'You must be the vampire and his pal that the Host rang me about - come here for some spiritual cleansing?' the demon said, as he fixed the drinks. 'You can go in the sweat lodge in the morning - it's not like a blood sucker like you will be looking to sunbathe!'

Angel looked confused. 'You want us to take part in a sacred ritual after spending the night drinking in your bar? Isn't that a bit ...sacrilegious?'

'We're demons,' the bartender pointed out. 'Let the humans keep their sacred ceremonies in their own way - we do things our way. You know what Rasputin used to say about forgiveness?'

'In order to be forgiven one must first sin,' Angel replied without hesitation.

'Exactly!' the bartender said. 'And in order to purify yourself, first you gotta need purification.' He plonked the blood and the beer on the counter. 'Now you boys have a good evening.'

Cordelia had picked up her purse and was headed through the lobby on her way home. As she reached the door, she suddenly felt someone grab her from behind, and she found herself held in a choke hold. 'Where is Angel?' an unfamiliar, male voice hissed in her ear.

'He's not here,' she gasped, struggling to free herself. But it was no use, the man's grip was too strong.

'You're lying. Give me Angel.'

Cordelia tugged on his arm once more, trying to relieve the pressure from around her neck. 'I can't - let me go.' He dropped her and she turned around, furious. 'It's about time -' but her words were cut off, when the man raised a gun and pointed it at her…