I Wont Fear Love

I Wont Fear Love

By Rachel

Rating: PG

Summary: Future; Angel/Cordelia; Cordelia tries to hold on to her new family and Angel, but her husband wont allow her to have it all, and Cordelia's faced with the hardest decision of her life.

Part 3:

"It's getting late. I've got to get Evelyn home…John's going to be there, if he isn't already, and I don't want him to worry." The guys walked Cordelia out to her car. It was after six thirty.

"God, today was so great, you can't even begin to imagine!" Cordelia beamed as she strapped Evelyn's carrier into its base converting it to a car seat in the backseat of her Mercedes. "WOW! To think, all that I got done today!" She went on. "I LOVE work! I love it! It gives me such a sense of…of…"

"Cordelia?"

"Accomplishment! I really hate to have to leave. I wish I could just stay all night, like old times!"

"Cordelia?" Angel repeated again, giving the car a sideways glance and standing back a few feet. Wesley and Gunn stood to stare beside him.

"What?" She asked, turning around.

"Your tire's flat."

"Huh?" She looked down. "Ah, dammit!" She stamped her foot and wrinkled her nose. Silently, she imagined the clock ticking away. She'd already stayed too late as it was, and she was sort of starting to worry about getting home too late. She didn't want to fight with John. She looked down at the tire again. The Powers must be against her. The Powers wanted to ruin her marriage, she just knew it. She didn't need their help when she did a well enough job of that on her own. Besides the sexual frustration that comes after having a baby, there was this whole thing about work…and Angel…and an attitude from her husband that she just didn't need. Cordelia sighed in frustration and crossed her arms sourly. There was no way around it. "Now I'm going to be late!"

"You got a spare?" Gunn asked. "We can fix it right quick."

"I dunno." Cordelia shrugged. "Maybe?"

"Maybe?" Angel repeated slightly amused. He and Gunn shared a smirk.

"I dunno." She rolled her eyes. "Where would it be?"

"Ah, the trunk I'd presume," Wesley adjusted his glasses. Cordelia gave him a 'DUH' look as he circled the car around to the driver's side and opened the driver's door. Cordelia removed Evelyn from the car seat and held her, bouncing her slightly.

"I was kidding,"

"Sure you were." Gunn now rolled his eyes.

"I was. You really think I'm that daft?" Cordelia wrinkled her nose and started to feel annoyed.

"Of course you were kidding." Angel jumped in, quick to spare her feelings. "You were kidding," He glanced at the other two men and then decided to try for extra Brownie points. "Of course you were kidding, and then you said you didn't know, and then you tricked Wesley," Anything at Wesley's expense. Wesley gave him a pained expression. "Wesley thought you were serious. And so did Gunn," Now Gunn gave him a pained expression. Angel stammered on, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "I…I thought it was funny. Hehe! See, I'm laughing! It was funny, Cordy…you're a…a funny girl." Okay, now he was talking way too much. "It was…funny."

Cordelia shot him a big smile. Angel smiled back and looked away shyly.

"Pop the trunk, yo, and lets have a look." Gunn dragged Angel to the trunk of the car and waited. After a second it snapped, and propped open a few inches. Gunn lifted the trunk lid and he and Angel started rummaging through all the stuff in the back. Wesley joined the others at the back of the car.

"Maybe its under here," Angel said, shoving a bunch of old shopping bags out of the way.

"My, my, Cordelia," Wesley shook his head. "Seriously, I think you're in need of Shop-a-holics Anonymous. Look at all of these shopping bags!"

Cordelia said nothing but scowled, and after a moment of watching over their shoulders, they reigned victorious, and Angel pulled the spare tire from the debris of the trunk.

"You got a jack?" Gunn asked. Cordelia gave him the same confused look as when he'd asked about the spare. "Ah, Nevermind!" He said disgustedly.

"There's one in my trunk," Angel smiled, steadying the tire on the edge of the trunk as he dug through his pocket for his keys. He tossed the keys to Gunn and Gunn headed over to the Plymouth…still in mint condition, Cordelia thought, and after all these years… It hadn't aged a bit; just like Angel.

A few moments later, Angel was unscrewing the flat and replacing it with the spare.

"There." He said gruffly as he forced the last nut into place. Slowly Gunn let the jack down, and to their astonishment, the tire was still flat.

"Dammit." Cordelia sighed. "Did you put the wrong one back!"

"What do you think this is?" Gunn asked. "I Love Lucy? No, we didn't put the wrong one back!"

"Cordy," Angel asked, cocking his head to look up at her. "How long has this spare been in your trunk?"

"I don't know!" She snapped. "I let John worry about all that stuff."

"Oh, bother." Wesley mumbled looking away.

Evelyn started to fuss.

"Just great! How am I supposed to get home now?" Cordelia huffed, bouncing her daughter to silence her.

"I'll take you," Angel said, rising to his feet and wiping his greasy hands on an old rag. "Leave your car here, and tomorrow, the guys can take the tire to get it repaired."

"And how do I get here tomorrow?" She asked.

"I can pick you up," Wesley said.

"Okay…what time?"

"Oh, around noon or so?"

"Okay, that's fine, I guess." Cordelia scowled at the car. It just figures something like this would happen. She looked at her watch and sighed. John would definitely be getting home any minute, and now he'd question where she'd been. And she'd have to tell him the truth.

The guys had started to transfer her things from her car to Angel's and Cordelia stood back, watching as she held Evelyn. When everything was done, all she had to do was strap Evelyn back into the car seat, say her good byes to Gunn and Wes, and get in the car herself. Angel steered the car out of the parking garage and out into the street.

It was just after dusk.

"Thanks for letting me come back today." Cordelia said from the passenger's side. Angel glanced over at her before looking back to the road and smiling.

"Thanks for coming back. You got a lot of stuff in order. We were about to drown in all those books."

"Yeah," She said caustically. "I noticed."

Angel looked at her again. "Things okay?" He asked quizzically.

Cordelia straightened up in her seat. "Of course. Why wouldn't they be?"

"I don't know." Angel shrugged. "Just…just you seem…tense, all of a sudden."

"Oh?" She reminded herself to relax.

"Yeah…sort of the way you were last week at dinner."

Oh. That.

"I don't know what you mean." Cordelia lied cheerily. She sat up straight and glanced back in the backseat at Evelyn, grinning brightly when she met her baby's sleepy eyes. Evelyn's lips curled up at the edges and she shoved her fingers into her mouth.

"That little argument you were having with John," Angel said, the color of the streetlights flowing over them in lines through the shadows as they rode along. He shrugged. "I know there's tension…I imagine things have been tough for you guys lately, and, even though I don't really know what's going on, well, you know you can talk to me if you need to."

"Angel. Things are fine." She said flippantly. She turned to stare out her window and Angel cocked his head at her.

"Is the baby wearing you out?"

"No!" She forced a laugh. "Angel. Things. Are. Fine."

"Is it something with John?"

Her face fell slightly but she shrugged. "Angel, no…"

"Is it something with me?"

Cordelia went silent.

Angel hadn't really expected it when he said it, but now that he had, he got the feeling that he had pinpointed the situation. He glanced at Cordelia, sitting stiffly to his right. Her eyes were fixated straight ahead, and he didn't need to wait for the trail of a streetlight to fall across her features to know that she was in sudden conflict.

"Cordy? Did I do something?" He asked in earnest. "Is John—are you—are you mad at me?"
"No, Angel." She sighed. "No. You haven't done anything."

"Then why—"

"It's not about you, okay?" She looked over at him then. "It's not about you. It's me. It's not about you, so just drop it. Okay?"

He was about to say something else when the look on her face stopped him. He shrugged in agreement and kept on driving. Cordelia retired to stare out her window again, Evelyn fell asleep in the back, and fifteen minutes later, they had reached her house.

"Thank you for the ride," She said as she began to get out of the car.

"Need some help?" Angel asked, jumping from his seat. He was already out of the car and at her side as she started to lift a very drowsy Evelyn from the car seat.

"No," Cordelia said. "I think I can manage."

"Are you sure?" He asked, holding the door wide as she stepped back. She eyed her things, and then her sleeping daughter.

"Well…"

Before she could say anything more, he began gathering up her things; car seat, diaper bag, purse, which was actually much heavier than it looked he noticed as he swung it over his shoulder with the diaper bag, all in one swoop.

"Nice handbag," She mused, turning to walk towards the house. "It goes great with your outfit."

"I try." He said dryly.

As they walked towards the house, Cordelia began to feel uneasy. She knew John's car was in the garage, she could feel it. She took a deep breath as they reached the front door, but before she could even take up the door handle, the door was swinging open and John was standing sternly before her.

"Where've you been?"

It wasn't a question exactly; definitely a reprimand.

"Angel's," She mumbled, eyeing him and then trying to move past him. His body stopped her and he gave her a hard look before finally acknowledging Angel's presence.

"Cordy came over and straightened up the office," Angel said, unable to ignore the thick tension between the couple. It was enough to make him want to run and hide. He could imagine how it was making Cordelia feel. He glanced quickly at Cordelia, trying to read her face, but all he saw was a brick wall. Whatever was going on between them, she wasn't about to falter with it. John held the same stony expression. It was a grudge match.

"…she would have been home sooner, but she got a flat. Tire that is," Angel added, compelled to go on as John remained quiet. "Her car's in my garage, Gunn's going to have it fixed tomorrow. So…I brought her home."

"Well. That's nice of you."

Finally, a response.

"Sure." Angel shrugged, still holding everything.

"Let me help you with that," John started.

"Oh, I got it." But John was already taking everything.

"I appreciate you giving Cord a ride home," John stated formally. He ducked back into the house and dropped the things in a heap on the floor. He still hadn't let Cordelia pass. Now he reached out for the baby. Reluctantly, Cordelia handed her over. Angel looked from one face to the other apprehensively. Putting his hands on his hips, he waited for whatever was brewing to explode. John didn't pay either of them mind now, just talked quietly to his baby. He still blocked the entrance, as if not to let Cordelia pass. Angel was about to say something.

"Angel, let me walk you back to the car," Cordelia said suddenly, turning to her friend and offering a slight smile. Angel frowned.

"Okay."

She turned and started back down the walkway. Angel followed, letting his eyes linger on John and the infant in a brief moment of hesitation. John, still cooing to the baby, turned around and walked inside without saying another word.

Cordelia tried to act carefree. She walked with a swing in her hips and a small smile on her lips. Angel saw through it.

"So!" She said cheerily. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow,"

"Yeah." Angel responded. They were at the car again.

"Again, thanks for the ride home."

"No sweat."

"See ya later." Cordelia turned to go back, but Angel caught her wrist. When she turned around, it was slowly, with her eyes averted to the pavement and her lips turned down slightly. Angel sighed.

"Cordelia, if you need me, call me."

She nodded her head silently.

His fingers lingered in hers before he let them drop and again she turned away. He got in his car, but watched until she got safely inside the house and the door closed fully before starting the ignition and pulling away. He thought about her the whole way home…

"CORDELIA! I FORBID IT!"

"YOU CAN'T FORBID ANYTHING!"

"THE HELL I CAN! SHE'S MY DAUGHTER TOO!"

"I KNOW SHE IS! DAMMIT, BUT SHE'S ALSO MINE, AND I HAVE A RIGHT,"

"YOU DON'T HAVE A RIGHT TO PUT HER IN DANGER!"

"SHE'S NOT IN DANGER, JOHN!!! WHY CAN'T YOU UNDERSTAND THAT!"

"EVERY TIME YOU PUT HER WITHIN A BLOCK OF THAT GUY, SHE'S IN DANGER."

"JOHN!!!" Cordelia was at a loss. "John! Don't be stupid! Angel's—"

"I'M NOT BEING STUPID. You just don't get it! You don't get it at all! You're blinded! Completely blinded!"

"I'M NOT BLINDED TO ANYTHING!"

"YOU'RE COMPLETELY BLIND! HE'S A FREAKING VAMPIRE, CORDELIA! A V A M P I R E!!"

"HE HAS A SOUL, DAMMIT! HE'S NOT A MONSTER!"

"HE DRINKS BLOOD! HE CAN'T GO OUT INTO THE DAYLIGHT! HE'S STRONGER THAN SUPERMAN!" John was pacing furiously now, in circles around Cordelia. "HE CAN SNAP A SPINE IN ONE PINCH! Tell me honestly that's not a monster! Tell me honestly that you don't find that remotely dangerous?"

"Not with Evelyn!" She cried out uselessly. "Not with Evelyn! Not Angel!"

"You're putting him first." John spat and walked away.

"I...I am not!"

"You are!" he yelled from the hallway. "You're putting that demon first!"

"I am not! You're crazy!"

But he was already gone, disappearing deeper into the house somewhere.

'Coward,' Cordelia thought. 'Run and hide! Go ahead!' And then Evelyn started to cry.

"Oh my god," She cursed. She scooped up the baby from the sofa where John had left her when the argument began. She held the baby against her chest, cupping her head to her shoulder and shushing her as she cried. The baby's wails continued. Cordelia felt like crying herself.

Angel returned to the Hyperion and eyeing Cordelia's Mercedes, he slowly got out of the car.

John's behavior had pissed him off. Who the hell did he think he was to treat Cordelia like that anyway? If things were sour between them, whatever. It happens. Marriages fail. For Cordelia's sake, he'd hoped it hadn't. He knew she loved John. But in his head, he was starting to wonder if it wouldn't be a good thing...no stop thinking like that.

He knew something was up, exactly what he wasn't sure. But he was positive he played some role in it. Cordelia's behavior when he'd asked her about it earlier had confirmed that fear. What if John didn't want her coming around anymore… But why? John knew how important A.I. was to Cordy. And John knew how important Cordy was to A.I…to him. John wouldn't try to make her give it up, would he? Give him up…

Angel thought back to the dinner party when they'd been talking about work, and John just sat their, silent. Cordy had been on the edge of her seat, listening, absorbing it all, looking envious. John said nothing. He didn't add anything to the conversation. Not a damn thing. He thought he was better then them. Now he thought Cordy was better than them. Just because he was white collar? Angel shook his head. No. That wasn't it. It was something else, John wasn't like that. He wasn't a snob…

Was it that he didn't think Cordy would be safe? Angel wouldn't let her not be. He wouldn't let her do any work that would put her in any danger. John knew that. John KNEW how much Angel loved her…

Angel stopped.

Was that it? He knew he loved her? He was jealous?

Would he be, though? He knew Angel loved her, but he didn't know the extent of it. He didn't know Angel was "in love" with her, or had ever been. Angel had kept that secret hidden forever. NO ONE knew. He'd even made himself forget it for a while… But had he slipped? Had he said something? Had he reacted to her somehow in front of John that led John to believe otherwise? Angel didn't think so. By now, his actions were formulated and concise. He didn't make mistakes. He didn't let things slip. No, his secret was still safe…

Angel had always supported their marriage. Sometimes he thought it'd kill him, but he was just happy to see Cordelia happy. She was happy with John. John gave her everything that he knew he never could. Angel wasn't jealous; he envied John, but he was never jealous. Jealousy was a selfish action, and Angel didn't deserve to be selfish. Jealous, no. Angry, sure. If John was going to treat Cordelia this way… Up until now, Angel had never had anything against John.

So was it something John had against him?

Ah, too much thinking! Maybe Angel was making more out of it then he should have been. Maybe it was just a lover's quarrel, a domestic spat. Entering the lobby, he took off his coat with a sigh.

"Angel we've got to go," Wesley said in all urgency as he and Gunn came rushing out of his office.

"Huh?" Angel said, slightly dazed.

"We. Go. Now. Not that hard to understand,"

Angel snapped to attention and again put on his coat. He snatched the battleaxe Gunn tossed to him in mid-flight, and followed the other two men out to Gunn's truck.

"Where are we going?" He asked.

"Got a call," Gunn explained. "Gang of Vamps on West Sunset."

"Yes," Wesley said gruffly. "They apparently did a home invasion and have killed two people. The maid hid, and called us,"

"Home invasion?" Angel repeated disturbed. "They're using tactics now?"

"Not for long,"

"They'll be dust soon," Gunn said surely. The three of them climbed into the tricked out truck and Gunn started the engine. "Guess it's time to visit the rich side of town. That would be a first, huh?"

Angel grumbled, his adrenaline rising for the fight.

"Let's go."

"It's my job," She said quietly as she slipped into bed. Cordelia had just fed Evelyn and put her to sleep in her crib. It was late, after eleven. John gave her a scathing look. This is the first time they'd spoke since he'd walked away from her hours before. She was trying her best to work her way back in; get past his defenses, and make him open up to her enough to let him see her point of view. She was sure if he gave her a chance, he'd see it. And she could fix it. John…John was always such a fair, caring, man.

"John, please…I don't want to fight."

"Then make your decision."


This earned him a hard stare. Cordelia almost didn't believe him.

"John. Don't make me do this."

"Cordelia, make your decision. It's him or us."

"John!"

"Him. Or. Us."

She sat quietly.

"Him. Or. US."

Cordelia scowled. So much for trying to get past his defenses…

"Us??? Or you? I'm not about to choose you over Angel, so give that idea a rest! If you're speaking about my daughter, then I choose my daughter! Over everyone! INCLUDING YOU."

John flinched, but hid it. "I'm your husband! You most certainly should be choosing me over him!"

"You're my husband," Cordelia confirmed. "But he's my best friend. And my oldest…both in the literal and non literal sense, duh! And he's taken care of me for years! You can't just make me forget about him! You can't just make me cut him out of my life, that'd be like me telling you you couldn't visit your parents anymore. That's what Angel is to me,"

"Your family?" John mocked in a sugary sweet voice.

"Yes." She growled, angered by his tone.

"Well, he might have taken care of you then, but I'm taking care of you now! I'm your family now, me and Evelyn, and that's all you should need—"

"I have more needs than you could handle," She muttered.

"Don't blame that one on me!" John hissed. "You're the one putting the distance between us, if anything, blame him."

"I can't blame Angel for something you do." Cordelia said quietly. John closed the book he had had on his lap and tossed it to the floor. He sat back hard against the headboard.

"Well, what would you like to do about it!"

"Well, it'd be nice if just once, you'd pay me some attention—"

"Doesn't Angel give you all the attention you need?"

"John, please!"

"Well, I'm sorry, but it's hard for me to even look at you sometimes,"

"Why! Why is that!"

"You don't make your self available to me,"

"Available! What kind of bullshit is that!"

"It's not bullshit, it's the truth!

"That's bullshit, John! And you know it!"

"All I know is that I don't know my wife anymore!"

"John!"

"I don't! We haven't had sex in months!"

"So now you don't know me unless we're having sex???"

"You know what I mean! You've been preoccupied!"

"Excuse me, but I've been taking care of our daughter, remember???"

"So now you're going to use Evelyn as an excuse not to sleep with me?"

"Why not! You're using Angel!" Ah ha! Victory! She saw him flinch. That's all she needed to railroad ahead with it. "That is it, isn't it? You're blaming Angel for me not giving you any, because you know that he can't get any, yet he still holds my attention better than you ever have!" Cordelia had to stop herself from grinning at that remark. It was low, and not fair to Angel at all, but the look on John's face was priceless. She'd been taking so much shit from him lately, it was nice to send a little of it back. But then John flung the covers away and stumbled off the bed to his feet.

He was seething. Dangerously. Cordelia withdrew slightly into the covers, watching him carefully, not letting her eyes flinch. He stared so angrily at her. He was so livid. She started to rethink her strategy…she started to regret pushing it this far…

"OH DAMN YOU!" He finally hissed.

"John!!!" Cordelia's eyes went wide. "John! John! I'm sorry! I'm sorry, where are you going!"

John was struggling to dress quickly, and by the look on his face, completely furious.

"Where are you going!" Cordelia demanded. But he wouldn't answer her. "John!" She barely had time to jump from the bed before he was already dressed and halfway out the door into the hallway. She followed him down the stairs to the garage door. John yanked his coat out of the closet and pulled it on. Cordelia got between him and the door and demanded to know where he was going at this late hour. John withdrew his keys and threatened her to move.

"I WILL NOT!" She screamed.

"GET OUT OF MY WAY!"

"NOT UNTIL YOU TELL ME WHERE YOU'RE GOING!"

"OUT! BECAUSE I CAN'T STAND TO BE IN THE HOUSE WITH YOU FOR ANOTHER MINUTE!"

"JOHN!!!"

"CORDELIA! GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY WAY!"

Then he grabbed her and pushed her, and before she had time to catch herself, he was already out the door. Cordelia was reeling, and by the time she got to the door herself, his car was already out on the street pulling away. She listened to his tires peel out and then listened as they screeched around the corner and disappeared into the night. The automated garage door had slowly started to close, the shriek of metal grinding a little as the weathered aluminum slid back into place.

Cordelia stood in her doorway, holding the door with one firm hand. Her eyes had closed and her body was shaking with intensity. That had to be the worst fight they'd ever had. He'd never laid a hand on her before. Cordelia opened her eyes, grit her teeth and then slammed the door closed with all her might. Her anger reverberated through the entire house, and as tears burned in her eyes, Evelyn started to cry upstairs. Cordelia rubbed her eyes hard, taking a deep focused breath before running up the stairs to her child.

"Cordelia, if you want to work, I can't stop you. But I can stop you from exposing our daughter to him. That much I can do."

"You'll do no such thing!" She said, outraged.

"CORDELIA," John stressed. He gave her a cold look, and leaning in towards her, whispered bleakly, "Don't make me force the issue. For your sake…please don't make me force the issue."

"John," She snapped, cocking her head at him wryly. "Are you threatening me?"

Cordelia relived the entire conversation over and over in her head as Wesley drove her to work.

John had returned home earlier that morning sometime just after seven. He'd smelled like he'd slept in a bar all night, and Cordelia wanted nothing to do with him. But he'd continued trying to pick fights with her. And after he'd gotten showered and changed for work, he came downstairs to the kitchen where Cordelia was washing dishes and where Evelyn sat in her carrier on top of the kitchen table, and he grabbed up Evelyn and started out the door to leave. That was when Cordelia had lost it.

He ended up taking her, and he'd had every right… Evelyn was his daughter too. But Cordelia wasn't ready for Evelyn to start bottle-feeding yet, and without her being there to nurse her, bottle-feeding was just going to have to start sooner than she'd wanted. She figured that John would rather keep Evelyn in his office with him all day than leave her at his company's day care, and that was a slight relief. Not that she didn't trust John not to feed her at the proper times, or change her diapers, or give her enough attention. He would take care of her, Cordy knew he would. But Cordelia was nervous with the whole situation. The fight, the baby… Plus, this was the first time since Evelyn had been born that she'd been apart from her. Cordelia missed her. She chewed her nails.

"How are you doing so far?" Wesley asked. Cordelia looked over at Wesley. He smiled like he knew what she was thinking…as if he'd been reading her mind. "Well, I assume there is some anxiety over letting John take over with Evelyn, even if it is for just a day…" Cordelia eased back in her seat. She felt like she might throw up. "I bet John was excited though, the proud father getting to take her to work for the day. Ah, he must be so pleased!"

"Uh, yeah," Cordelia mumbled. "He was."

She hadn't told Wesley anything about the argument. She didn't plan on telling anyone. If she could, she'd forget about it for the rest of the day, enjoy some peace and quiet…if you could call working at A.I. peace and quiet, and she would deal with it all later. Always later. Always later…things just seemed too hard at the moment.

"Hey," Angel said, getting up from his place at his desk to welcome her.

"Hey," She mustered with a tired smile.

"You okay?" He asked, his senses perceiving an uneasiness about her. Wesley walked past and into his office, leaving the two of them alone for the moment. He stared at her thoughtfully, gently touching the small of her back with his fingers as he turned to walk with her towards her own desk, now cleaned and organized and ready for her return. Angel wouldn't say it, but he was so excited to have her back.

"I'm fine, Angel," She lied. "Just a little tired is all, didn't sleep much last night."

"Where's Evelyn?"

"Oh. John took her." She looked down sadly, but when her face rose again she was wearing a tight lipped smile, adamant not to let her mood slip out. "Work. He took her to work with him. Jealous, I guess, of all the time I've been getting to spend with her,"

"I see." Angel said shortly, crossing his arms and staring.

"Yeah…so, you just get me today!" She made the effort to add a little laugh to her sentence, and she sat down carelessly on the edge of her desk, dropping her bag next to her. Angel circled softly to her right.

"You didn't have to come in, you know, if things are…well,"

"Oh, Angel!" Cordelia smiled, bigger, brighter, and pushed at his arm gently. "Really, don't. I'm here. I'm ready. I'm willing to work! Don't worry about my home life. I'm here as an employee."

He regarded her thoughtfully.

"A partner." He corrected her.

"Huh?"

"Partner, Cordy. You're a partner. Always have been."

"Ah, yes!" She grinned now, slightly loosening up. Angel was glad to see her smiling genuinely. She started to shrug off her coat and he came around, behind her, to help her take it off. Cordelia smiled to herself, pausing as she felt his cool fingertips skim her shoulders, pulling the fabric away. She pushed last night's fight out of her head, and put her efforts into their conversation.

"I am so ready to work, Angel."

"Good, because Gunn's out doing some legwork on a new case…"

Cordelia looked up at him anxiously. He smiled, shaking his head, and her grin faltered in minor disappointment.

"When he gets back." Angel went on to promise. "He'll be back in about an hour. Oh, and I had him take the tire in this morning, so when he gets back with it, I'll fix your car."

"Eh," Cordy waived her hand flippantly. "I'm in no rush, I kind of like carpooling," She smiled again. "It reminds me of old times, when I was car-less. Remember?"

"Like it was yesterday,"

"God. This is so good!" She exclaimed. She'd risen from the desk and walked around to her desk chair. She spilled herself down into it, stretching her fingers and then reached forward to turn on her laptop.

"I found this," Angel said suddenly, reaching down to pull open the top drawer of her desk. Cordelia's head turned down to follow his hand. He reached in and pulled out her old nameplate…'Cordelia Chase' it read engrained in bold letters. Cordelia smirked and reached for it.

"Cool."

"I suppose I should order a new one…with 'Taylor' on it,. We never did, you know, even after the wedding,"

"Nah." Cordy said too quickly, taking the plate and plopping it down at the edge of her desk. She stared at it enthusiastically, and then turned in her seat to look up at him; her eyes looking so much like the 19 year old Cordelia that he remembered sitting in this desk for the first time…well, not this desk per say. That desk had burned up in a fire, but it was a desk, and it was working with him, so it felt the same. He must've started to look nostalgic because she looked at him with an acknowledging reluctance, and said, "Brings back memories, doesn't it?"

"Yeah."

She turned around in her chair and busily started to play with her computer.

"God I hope I can still do this. I'm out of practice!"

"You can do it."

"You know, it's been so long, I even almost forgot I was 'Vision Girl.' Talk about old times…those days are LONG gone, huh?"

Angel circled softly around the desk again, to her left now, and very much wanting to reach out and touch her hair, refrained; instead answering serenely,

"You'll always be my Vision Girl."

Cordelia turned back, regarding him with bright, youthful eyes.