&&&&&&&
Sunnydale
12 pm
Cordelia, Wesley and Angel stole Spike's car and drove to the nearest hotel. "I want to go back to L.A.," Angel sighed as he sat on the bed.
"No," Cordelia said as she and Wesley followed him into the room. "I know, this is a huge mess, Angel, but I'm not letting you run away and hide."
"I'm not..." Angel shook his head and looked away. He was too tired to argue. He knew Cordelia was right, though. So much had happened. He was human again? He wasn't sure he wanted to tell Buffy that, but he knew he should stick around a little while, in case she needed to talk about the other things that had happened. "Fine."
"Really?" Cordelia peered at him suspiciously.
"Don't have a choice, do I?" he asked, looking up at her again.
Wesley turned and walked out of the hotel. "Wes, wait!" Angel called after him, but the other man didn't stop. "Damn it," Angel sighed.
"Just give him some time, Angel," Cordelia suggested. "He'll be okay."
"Maybe. Better than..." Angel stopped that train of thought. He wasn't ready to think about what he'd done to Xander.
"Yeah," Cordelia sighed as she moved to sit next to him. "Look, Angel, nothing that happened back there was your fault. There were way too many things going on that The Powers didn't bother to warn us about. That Tara girl, Spike, Riley...somedays I don't think they give us half enough info to be able to do what they want, you know?"
Angel nodded. He felt that way, too, most days.
"Are you angry with me?" she asked then. "I mean, I'd understand if you were, I kind of helped cause a major complication for you. But I didn't mean for all this to happen."
Angel sighed. "I'm not mad at you, Cordy," he assured her. "I know you didn't expect this result, I wouldn't have expected it either. I just wish...." he trailed off.
"Yeah," Cordelia said. "Me too." She looked at him, a worried expression on her face. "Is there anything I can do?"
"I think I just need to be alone for a while," Angel replied. "I hate to ask you--"
"Don't worry about it," Cordelia smiled. "I understand. You're still playing vampire, until you decide what you're going to do. So I'll go take a walk. Maybe find Wesley and see if he needs anything. If you're sure you'll be okay..."
"I'll be fine," Angel replied. "Thank you, Cordelia. For everything. You really went beyond the call of duty in helping Buffy bring me back."
"It wasn't just duty," Cordelia said. "I told you once that if you went all 'grrr' I'd stake you. And I would have, if there hadn't been another option. But you're not just my boss anymore, you're my friend. So when I thought of the Mohra blood, I knew it was a long shot; but I felt like I had to try."
"I...thank you," Angel said again. "That means a lot, and I think of you as a friend too."
"Well, I should think so, the things I do for you," she teased. She was glad when she got a small smile out of him. "Okay, well I'm outta here for a while. Just do me a favor and don't brood too much, okay?"
Angel rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I promise."
"That'll last for all of five minutes," Cordelia said, "but I appreciate the attempt anyway. I'll be back later."
Angel laid down after she'd left, staring at the ceiling. The same question repeated in his head: 'Now what?' Try as he might, he couldn't seem to come up with an answer.
*************
End part 18
Sunnydale
12 pm
Cordelia, Wesley and Angel stole Spike's car and drove to the nearest hotel. "I want to go back to L.A.," Angel sighed as he sat on the bed.
"No," Cordelia said as she and Wesley followed him into the room. "I know, this is a huge mess, Angel, but I'm not letting you run away and hide."
"I'm not..." Angel shook his head and looked away. He was too tired to argue. He knew Cordelia was right, though. So much had happened. He was human again? He wasn't sure he wanted to tell Buffy that, but he knew he should stick around a little while, in case she needed to talk about the other things that had happened. "Fine."
"Really?" Cordelia peered at him suspiciously.
"Don't have a choice, do I?" he asked, looking up at her again.
Wesley turned and walked out of the hotel. "Wes, wait!" Angel called after him, but the other man didn't stop. "Damn it," Angel sighed.
"Just give him some time, Angel," Cordelia suggested. "He'll be okay."
"Maybe. Better than..." Angel stopped that train of thought. He wasn't ready to think about what he'd done to Xander.
"Yeah," Cordelia sighed as she moved to sit next to him. "Look, Angel, nothing that happened back there was your fault. There were way too many things going on that The Powers didn't bother to warn us about. That Tara girl, Spike, Riley...somedays I don't think they give us half enough info to be able to do what they want, you know?"
Angel nodded. He felt that way, too, most days.
"Are you angry with me?" she asked then. "I mean, I'd understand if you were, I kind of helped cause a major complication for you. But I didn't mean for all this to happen."
Angel sighed. "I'm not mad at you, Cordy," he assured her. "I know you didn't expect this result, I wouldn't have expected it either. I just wish...." he trailed off.
"Yeah," Cordelia said. "Me too." She looked at him, a worried expression on her face. "Is there anything I can do?"
"I think I just need to be alone for a while," Angel replied. "I hate to ask you--"
"Don't worry about it," Cordelia smiled. "I understand. You're still playing vampire, until you decide what you're going to do. So I'll go take a walk. Maybe find Wesley and see if he needs anything. If you're sure you'll be okay..."
"I'll be fine," Angel replied. "Thank you, Cordelia. For everything. You really went beyond the call of duty in helping Buffy bring me back."
"It wasn't just duty," Cordelia said. "I told you once that if you went all 'grrr' I'd stake you. And I would have, if there hadn't been another option. But you're not just my boss anymore, you're my friend. So when I thought of the Mohra blood, I knew it was a long shot; but I felt like I had to try."
"I...thank you," Angel said again. "That means a lot, and I think of you as a friend too."
"Well, I should think so, the things I do for you," she teased. She was glad when she got a small smile out of him. "Okay, well I'm outta here for a while. Just do me a favor and don't brood too much, okay?"
Angel rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I promise."
"That'll last for all of five minutes," Cordelia said, "but I appreciate the attempt anyway. I'll be back later."
Angel laid down after she'd left, staring at the ceiling. The same question repeated in his head: 'Now what?' Try as he might, he couldn't seem to come up with an answer.
*************
End part 18