Grateful

The Powers That Be had seen to it that he didn't really have time to sit around and mope about Cordelia. Between the excruciating moment where he accidentally made a play for Buffy right in front of Angel and then the blinding vision pain, Cordy and her date were pushed to the back of his mind.

Though she never stayed out of his thoughts for long.

Even in the middle of the fight - with a gang of rowdy vampires - she still kept popping into his head. Like when he got knocked to the floor and smashed over the head with something large and heavy. The pain made his demon face spring to the fore … but still feeling sore about Cordy's remarks about green skinned monsters, he shook it straight off.

'Man, I hate that.'

He glanced up and saw the vampire standing over him, a beer keg raised above its head, about to smash it down on Doyle. Well… this would be the big black out. He just stared, not knowing what to do, unable to defend himself, when a sharp piece of wood suddenly jutted out through the vampire's rib cage.

The vamp exploded in a cloud of dust, and Angel was standing there - looking disapprovingly down at him.

'I was just about to do that,' Doyle said, weakly.

Angel shook his head, 'I better get this guy home.' He turned away and went to help the poor human who had been the intended entree. Then the three of them headed out.

But Angel still wasn't done disapproving of him. 'Doyle, you're stronger when you're a demon, right? So why did you shake it off?'

Doyle thought of Cordy - and being a green skinned, red eyed monster. 'I just don't like to fight that way.'

'This isn't a spelling bee. Nobody expects you to fight fair.'

'It's just not my style, that's all.' He hated to be seen that way. He hated that he had this whole monstrous side to him and he hated that that meant that men like Pierce got to go out with Cordelia, while he spent his evenings in ratholes like this getting beaten up by the undead. And he didn't want to talk about how much he hated all of it … so he changed the subject. 'You want me to go with?' He indicated the weak and limping human that Angel was supporting.

But Angel shook his head, he could manage alone - and he sent Doyle back to the office.

...

Walking back, Doyle wondered if Angel was really annoyed with him - and whether the conversation was really over or if they had just put a pin in it. Angel knew he was keeping his demon half a secret from Cordelia, so he could only hope that his boss would have the sense to not try and bring it up when she was around but, nevertheless, he feared they would end up having another chat about how he needed to use all the powers he had available to him if he was going to be any use as a sidekick.

He was still a couple of blocks away from the office when he became aware he was being followed.

Nonchalantly, he crossed the road and glanced over his shoulder - and his suspicions were confirmed.

The vampire following him was one from the nest, a gigantic one. And he didn't have any weapons … not that he would stand a chance against a vamp that size even if he did.

He kept walking, not giving away any sign that he knew he wasn't alone; making it look like he hadn't a care in the world and that, as far as he was concerned, nothing was amiss. But his heart was banging frantically inside his chest, hammering against his rib cage.

The vamp had kept his distance for now - Doyle could only hope it kept this up, allowed him to get back to the office, back to the weapons, before it sprang its attack. It was all he could do not to break into a run, but he knew if he did - it would be over - the thing would pounce.

He did allow himself to jog up the office steps though, just speeding up slightly as safety beckoned - and his heart hammered even faster at the thought of being killed mere feet from refuge. And then he was inside, he locked the office door and headed down to Angel's to pick up something large and deadly.

He chose a crossbow. The vampire was huge and - all things considered - Doyle would prefer to kill it from a distance. If it came down to a tussle, he wouldn't stand a chance. He selected a bolt and loaded it up.

His palms were starting to sweat at the thought of having to point this thing and take out that thing … but he couldn't leave a massive vampire roaming the streets. He didn't know how long Angel would be, who the vampire might kill in the meantime, or if it would get bored and just come inside and kill him instead. He needed to take this thing out. He just hoped his palms wouldn't be so slick with sweat, by the time he did it, that his handle on the crossbow would be all slippy.

It was as he headed back into the office, that he saw the bright circles of a pair of headlights sweep past the window and shine on the wall opposite. Then there was the sound of an engine cutting out. Someone had driven up and parked - he hoped fervently it would turn out to be Angel

But no such luck. Peeking out between the blinds, cautious lest the massive vamp spot him, he tried to get a look at who it was. It wasn't Angel.

Oh Jesus - it was Cordelia and her date, talk about bad timing!

He stood frozen to the spot, wondering what to do. The date was out of the car and following Cordy and, desperate as he was to run out there and usher her inside to safety, his suddenly appearing would make him look like a stalker. Which - under the circumstances, being life and death as they were - he would normally be fine with, but if Cordy thought he was being jealous then she wouldn't come inside. If she thought he was being a creep, she'd stand there and yell in the street.

And she was headed for the door as it was. There was no point going out to save her, if he would only slow her down. But he remained tense and watchful, willing her to get inside.

And then she was grabbed - he heard her high pitched scream, and all indecision left him and he bolted for the door.

She was putting up a fight, when he got outside - tussling with the vamp, biting him, trying to run. If she was a damsel, she was more pissed than distressed.

There was no sign of her date.

Doyle levelled his crossbow: 'I'm the one you followed here, it's me you want.'

The vampire looked up from Cordy, and laughed in his face: 'stay close, you'll get your turn.'

Doyle took aim. But Cordelia was in the way - the way the vampire held her shielded it from Doyle's crossbow. No matter which way he pointed his weapon, the only thing he would hit would be Cordelia.

But things were getting desperate. Cordy was putting up a good fight, but she was no match for this massive monster, and it was ready to bite her … and still it was shielded by her.

There was only one available point of vulnerability. Only one shot Doyle could take. He took it. Aiming low, he pulled the trigger and the bolt flew from the bow and buried itself right into the vampire's foot. The vampire let go of Cordelia, who fell to the ground and rolled away, and yelled out in pain.

But not that much pain … a second later and it had ripped the bolt out and then flung itself towards Doyle.

He felt like a rabbit in the headlights, as this monster flew towards him, and he dropped his crossbow and waited for impact.

He felt himself be slammed into the wall, and then his arms were grabbed in an iron like grip - and then he had a blurry notion of tumbling down the stairs … and then his face was getting up close and personal with the asphalt, and all the wind had been knocked out of him.

He grunted, but the vampire was already back on top of him, pinning him to the ground.

With his face smushed into the sidewalk, he saw his crossbow bolt lying abandoned a couple of feet away. If he could just … he tried to wriggle out from under the bulk of the vampire, but it caught him and pinned him again.

As it pulled back to land another hit, he seized his moment and thrust his elbow back, jabbing the vampire in the eye. It fell back and he didn't waste this precious fraction of a second. Scrabbling forwards, his fist curled around the bolt, he turned around and - without stopping to think, look or even recognise what he was doing, he thrust the bolt upward and home into the vampire's chest.

And just like they all did - it disintegrated into ashes, dust on the wind …

And then the adrenaline left him, and relief and exhaustion and pain came rushing over him, swamping him, and he dropped back to the ground. But he couldn't just lie here - Cordelia was down too, the vampire had had hold of her for far too long, he needed to check…

Gingerly, he turned himself over and looked over at Cordelia, his eyes searching for any sign she was injured. 'Are you OK?' he asked her.

'I'm fine,' she sounded like she too was suffering the aftermath of a sudden adrenaline surge that had left as quickly as it had come.

Her brow wrinkled, 'you were so brave.'

'Think you can say that again without so much shock in your voice?' His breath was thready, he winced in pain again. 'You're stepping on my moment of manliness here.'

'Sorry I'm just…'

'Surprised?' He cut her off. He looked directly into her eyes - knowing there was a slight challenge in his own. And that's when he saw how soft her eyes were, he saw something in them that he didn't see often - in fact, he wasn't sure he'd ever seen it there before at all. And he knew before she said it that he had read her all wrong.

'Grateful.'