Anna hit LA sometime around dawn the next day, and it was sufficient to say that her mood hadn't improved. If it were up to her, she would stake the bastard and get the hell off of earth before break fast was over, but it wasn't up to her. Not yet.
Inside the city limits she took a cab to the business district where she sat in a rented hotel room until the shops opened. She needed cloths, something proficient but attractive. The boss always said that vanity was her downfall, but first, she needed a shower. No human she had ever heard of was going to let someone who looked like a drowned rat into their store to try on cloths.
In the bathroom Anna found what were supposed to be towels, but in her opinion weren't even bit enough to pass for washcloths and were so threadbare they wouldn't even make good rags.
"This trip keeps getting better and better," she muttered as she stepped under the hot water, hissing as it hit the scratches on her body. Why anyone would want to be human was beyond her.
She emptied the little shampoo bottle and lathered up her long dark hair, sighing as she felt the soap break apart the clumps of dirt stuck in it, allowing it to move freely again. She used one of the minuscule towels as a washcloth and scrubbed her skin until it was pink and glowing.
Feeling a little bit better when she came out of the shower she glanced over at the bed at the only cloths she had to wear until she got new ones. The jeans were dirty and torn, the sneakers old and word, and the shirt was tired and stained. She wasn't even going to look at the underwear, which she had thrown out promptly after taking them off. She didn't really want to put those cloths on now that she was clean, but she had nothing else.
Stifling a groan she slipped the stiff cloths onto her body, shifting, trying to find a position where the seam of the jeans didn't ride up her crotch, but finally gave up with an exasperated sigh.
She walked outside and walked down the block to a clothing store, and started sifting through the racks to find something appropriate.
"Umm, can I help you?" Anna turned to see a store clerk staring at her oddly.
"Yeah, I'm in town for the day, and as you can see, I had a mishap. I need to get an outfit that will wear well, and will fit in almost any situation." Anna knew it was wrong to lie, but she could only imagine the look the clerk would give her if she said she was an angel who was here in a dead woman's body to find a vampire who was given his soul and it was her job to stop him before he lost it or kill him if he did. Yeah, that would go over swimmingly.
"Ok, well, how much do you have?" the clerk was still skeptical. Anna pulled out a wad of bills and a credit card, handing it to the clerk. After sorting through it the clerk smiled at her brightly.
"Right this way," she indicated towards the dressing rooms.
An hour later Anna emerged, clad in black leather pants, a rhinestone tank top, and a pair of chunky boots. In her hand she carried a supply of underwear to stop the uncomfortable crotch riding she had experiences earlier, a few different shirts, and some socks.
She was equipped now all she had to do was find Angelus. This is where she was stumped. Where did a vampire who was in danger of losing his soul hangout? Better yet, how could she discover this without raising suspicion? She doubted demon bar and pub was listed in the yellow pages.
She headed back to the hotel and deposited her bags on the bed; it looked like she was going to have to do this the hard way. By bar hopping.
She looked in the mirror and ran a brush through her hair, studying her face. Her eyes were large and almond shaped, tilted slightly at the corners, but the color wasn't remarkable at a shade of light gray. Her skin had an olive hue, and her nose was long and straight. If she had to guess it would be that Anna had been of Greek descent. She applied a coat of lip-gloss and winked at herself as she turned to head out the door, grabbing a denim coat in case it got cold later.
Maybe the boss was helping her out, because she found an appropriate bar rather quickly, and it was a karaoke bar nonetheless. It was packed wall to wall with demons, monsters, and other kinds of things that go bump in the night. Surely one of them had to know where Angelus was right?
"Heh, your new here aren't you?" Anna turned to see a green-faced demon sitting next to her.
"Yeah, just got into town."
He looked at her for a moment, as if something wasn't quite right. "Don't I know you from somewhere?" He narrowed his eyes studying her.
"I doubt it."
"Hmm. So what brings you to my humble establishment?"
"Actually I'm looking for someone."
"Aren't we all sweety, aren't we all."
"I am looking for a particular person, maybe you can help me."
He set his drink on the counter, turning his full attention to her. "Maybe, maybe not."
"I'm looking for a guy named Angelus." The man next to her spit out his drink onto a passing customer.
"I take it you know him?"
"No, what makes you say that?"
Anna narrowed her eyes. Dirty cloths she could take, crappy towels too, what she couldn't take was lippy demons that wouldn't give up what they knew. She reached across the counter and grabbed him.
"Look you little weasel," she grabbed his polyester shirt lapels, "I'm not like your other cronies, I will hurt you. So tell me where Angelus is."
"Whoa, whoa, heh there, slow down a minute. I said I didn't know where he is right now, but I know where he may be later."
"Spill it, or I will."
"He stays in this old hotel on Sunset, that's all I know. He has a couple a friends who might know where he is, they have a supernatural investigative agency." He smoothed his jacket as she pushed him back into his chair.
"Thanks," Anna smiled at him, "you have a nice place here." She put a couple of dollars on the table and walked out of the front door.
"Sunset huh? You have a sick sense of humor Angelus." She walked to the street and hailed a cab.
Angel woke up, rubbing his face. He looked over and Darla was lying next to him. Damn, what had he done? Suddenly the night before came rushing back to him.
"Damn." He muttered softly, getting up quietly so as to not disturb the sleeping vampire next to him, he quickly dressed and was out the door.
Not wanting to go home, he walked through the park, not knowing where to go from here. After last night's revelations, that this world was the home base, he didn't know how to fight it. Strangely, he had found that hell was easier to battle when it was just a concept. Now it was all too real.
Then there was his friends, what was he supposed to do about them? It was even more dangerous to have them around him now, but it was also the only way he could keep them safe.
With a curse he ran his hand through his hair, heading back to the hotel. He needed to get a change of cloths and a shower before he went out hunting.
He opened the front door and walked past the blinking answering machine without a glance. He didn't need to listen to more messages from Cordelia telling him what an ass he was. He already knew it.
Anna moved silently after him, mirroring his steps from room to room. He hadn't changed much, the hair was shorter, the shoulders perhaps more sloped, but he still had the stance of a predator. She watched as he walked down the hallway and into a back room, she knew she couldn't follow him in there, it wouldn't be wise to follow him on his own turf, instead she went to the answering machine he had passed and pressed the button.
"Angel it's Cordelia, look, I know you don't care or anything, but I thought you might like to know that there was an accident, and we're at the hospital."
In his bedroom, Angel paused, removing the towel from his head; he could have sworn he had just heard Cordelia's voice. Setting the towel down he moved towards the door and cracked it open.
". . .hospital." Yes, that was defiantly Cordelia. He moved quickly down the hallway. What in the hell was she doing here?
Anna heard movement and moved quickly towards a door that lead to a downstairs room. She needed to keep the element of surprise, she moved behind the staircase crouching down as she listened for Angel's progress through the house.
Upstairs Angel moved through the lobby, he saw no one around, and he didn't smell Cordy anywhere, but there was another scent, he couldn't place it, is smelt. . .warm? That didn't make sense, but that was the only way to describe it. He moved past the office and that is when he saw the answering machine wasn't blinking anymore and he froze. Someone, or something was here. He felt his brow change shape and his teeth lengthen as he growled into the darkened lobby.
He moved towards the artillery room, throwing open the door. Whoever had invaded his home was going to be sorry. He walked slowly down the stairs, scanning the area, however stakes, swords, and other various weapons of destruction were all he saw.
Anna watching his decent from beneath the stairway. Shit, he knew she was here and he didn't look pleased. She stood absolutely still in the shadows of the staircase as he moved around the room. Slowly he moved back up the stairway to search the rest of the house, and she would have sighed if her body still required breath. She heard the front door close as he left, but it was no matter. She wouldn't need to track him down again, she knew he had friends, the only thing she needed to do was find them, and the rest would be simple.