Part Seven
Angel turned his hire car into a small side street and switched off the ignition. Running his hands through his hair; he sat quietly for a few minutes trying to make sense of the madness that, over the last four months, had consumed his life.
**What the hell was he doing still chasing this dead dream? ** He asked himself for what felt like the thousandth time that day.
Sitting there alone with his thoughts, Angel knew that he'd been asking that same question now for weeks. On one side of the coin he was desperate to put his life back on track, concentrate solely on his work at the museum and forget this mystery girl nonsense once and for all. But, every time he tried, the dreams returned with a vengeance. Angel was instantly haunted with images so breathtakingly beautiful that his resolve to find Buffy Summers became even stronger than before.
But despite the strength of his determination, he had failed and failed miserably. Weeks of long distance phone calls and continuous visits to the US embassy had resulted in nothing but dead ends and frustration. So, after four months of searching, the only information Angel had in his possession was that the girl in the picture lived and worked in LA.
**Los Angeles, a city he had never been to in his entire life.... A city that held the answers to his nightmares**
Angel was torn, torn between wanting to find the girl and wanting to rediscover some sort of peace of mind. These days, he had almost forgotten what it felt like to feel at peace with himself, what it felt like to wake up in the morning feeling refreshed and ready to face the challenges of a brand new day.
Nowadays when he woke each morning, he was already exhausted from the hours of cryptic dreams that spun around his subconscious night after night, refusing to release their hold on his soul.
The dreams had slowly changed direction and over the last few weeks they had been filled with images so horrific in their detail that he was almost afraid to close his eyes. Yet, in the middle of this madness he would always find her. Swirling slightly out of his reach, his fingers would stretch out and just as he was about to touch her, demons and darkness would rip her away from him. That's how it ended, night after night, beauty, demons and darkness. It was all insane.
Something had to give.
Something did.
Angel found himself sitting on a flight to Los Angeles before he even realised what he was doing. Phone calls were simply not enough, if he was ever going to find this girl and take back his life, he knew the only person that could do something about it, was him.
So, with nothing more to go on than a blurred photograph, a strange sounding name and the city of LA, he made the decision and went for it.
Struggling with a large complex street map, a city that drove on the wrong side of the road and a strong feeling of deja vu, Liam Price left the airport and started his search.
*****
Angel was lost, tired, hungry and extremely pissed off by the time he pulled his compact hire car off the main street and parked to re-check his map.
Looking out of the car's side window for directions, his eyes caught sight of a small office with a large silver angel hanging over the door's entrance. Drawn by curiosity, Angel left the car and walked across the pavement to take a closer look.
"Angel Investigations " he read the sign aloud and liked the way it sounded.
**Angel**
In his heart he knew that Buffy was somehow tied up with the name Angel, that much he was sure of.
**Angel Investigations.... Well if that wasn't an omen, nothing was**
Angel smiled, feeling that things might just be looking up after all. This place had a good feel about it, and maybe an American detective agency would have better luck finding Buffy Summers than he ever would.
Slipping his hand in his jacket pocket, Angel pulled out the small plastic card he carried with him everywhere he went. Gently stroking the fading features that were now printed on his heart, his lips twitched into the tiniest of smiles.
"Soon, beloved" he whispered softly as his thumb brushed over the flat surface of the card.
**Beloved**
Angel wondered where such a strange expression had come from, it was weird, because he had never used the word *Beloved* in his all life.
**The sooner this was over the better**
Angel pushed open the large glass door and walked in.
*****
Cordelia Chase would never know just how talented an actress she really was. Her performance was flawless as she ended her conversation with Wesley and calmly replaced the receiver. Not a single flicker of recognition crossed her beautiful features as she looked up, through long dark lashes, and smiled through her statutory greeting.
As the words left her lips she was torn between the desire to hug her friend with sheer joy after so many years apart, and the need to slap his face for putting Wesley through so much worry over the last few months. Cordelia resisted both urges and continued to play out the masquerade.
"Can I help you?"
Angel felt strangely at ease as he walked closer and held out his hand
"Hello, my name is Liam Pryce and I'd like to employ you to find somebody for me" he waited for a few seconds and when it became obvious that the young woman behind the desk was not going to return his greeting he lowered his hand feeling slightly embarrassed.
**So much for American hospitality** he thought as he studied the woman behind the desk. There was something about her eyes that fascinated him, Angel found the woman incredibly beautiful but there was no physical attraction, she wasn't Buffy, she was lovely but, she wasn't Buffy.
Cordelia looked at the outstretched hand and swallowed hard, making no attempt to move. She might have been playing the part of her life but even she couldn't risk touching his hand. The way her fingers were trembling at that moment would have been a dead give-away that something wasn't right.
"I'm afraid we don't do missing persons" her voice responded so normally that, for a second, she had serious doubts that she was the one speaking.
Unwittingly, Cordelia then found herself staring; she simply couldn't help it. For the very first time in all the years she had known Angel she noticed changes - subtle things - but there were definitely changes. And then it struck her; it was the sunlight enhancing his appearance, it reflected off his body lightening every aspect of his being.
That was the main difference, Angel now radiated light. His skin, his hair, even his clothes, were alive with a flash of vibrant colour.
And then there was his voice, it was the same rich husky tone but, he now spoke with an English accent. Her old friend might have only said a few words so far but it was very clear, Angel sounded a cross between Giles and Spike with a little Wesley thrown in for good measure. Cordelia resisted the smile that accompanied that thought. If Angel decided to stay in America that accent would definitely have to go.
"Excuse me?"
When she realised he had asked her a question Cordelia pulled her fascinated eyes away and turned back into the actress of the year.
"I thought the sign said investigations? So what do you investigate?" Angel asked looking back at the sign painted right across the window.
Cordelia chewed nervously on the pen in her hand as she considered her reply
"It's complicated" she started but decided that telling Angel anything more might be a mistake. Although he had been in the office now a full five minutes and she was sure by the look on his face that he clearly hadn't recognised her, Cordelia really didn't want to say anything more until she had checked back with Wesley and Gunn. She snapped her head up on realising that Angel had continued with his questions.
"Then maybe you could suggest somebody else that could help me, I need to find this girl" Angel opened his hand and offered a small photograph.
**Oh, shit** Cordelia silently muttered as the image of the one girl she could never help him find, came into view.
**Wesley hadn't told her that Angel now had a picture of Buffy** At that point Cordelia's brain went into overload, knowing that if they didn't offer to take the case, Angel would just turn around and find somebody else who would, and knowing their luck....
"Mr. Pryce, please take a seat, I'm sorry. Of course we can help you, let's get some details" she dropped down into her own seat and smiled until her cheeks hurt.
Thirty minutes later...
Cordelia picked up the phone and quickly dialed the number committed to memory.
"He's just left the office. No, of course I couldn't stop him leaving. What do you suggest, that I tie him up? He wants us to find Buffy for him. No, I didn't turn him down, I told him we'd take the case and then I gave him the address of a convenient Hotel, that way we know where he is and what he is doing" Cordelia quickly volleyed back the answers to Wesley's onslaught of questions.
After a few minutes Wesley panic attack seemed to die out and he admitted that under the circumstances, Cordelia had handled the situation amazingly well.
"Thank you, I agree. I was pretty damn convincing" she finally laughed as a little of the tension, she too had been feeling, started to slip away.
Cordelia then stopped congratulating herself as she realised they were far from out of the woods. Angel was now waiting for them to get in touch with him and from the impatient look on his face; he wouldn't be waiting too long.
"Okay, so that was the easy part out of the way but, Wesley, What the hell are we going to do next?"
TBC...
Angel turned his hire car into a small side street and switched off the ignition. Running his hands through his hair; he sat quietly for a few minutes trying to make sense of the madness that, over the last four months, had consumed his life.
**What the hell was he doing still chasing this dead dream? ** He asked himself for what felt like the thousandth time that day.
Sitting there alone with his thoughts, Angel knew that he'd been asking that same question now for weeks. On one side of the coin he was desperate to put his life back on track, concentrate solely on his work at the museum and forget this mystery girl nonsense once and for all. But, every time he tried, the dreams returned with a vengeance. Angel was instantly haunted with images so breathtakingly beautiful that his resolve to find Buffy Summers became even stronger than before.
But despite the strength of his determination, he had failed and failed miserably. Weeks of long distance phone calls and continuous visits to the US embassy had resulted in nothing but dead ends and frustration. So, after four months of searching, the only information Angel had in his possession was that the girl in the picture lived and worked in LA.
**Los Angeles, a city he had never been to in his entire life.... A city that held the answers to his nightmares**
Angel was torn, torn between wanting to find the girl and wanting to rediscover some sort of peace of mind. These days, he had almost forgotten what it felt like to feel at peace with himself, what it felt like to wake up in the morning feeling refreshed and ready to face the challenges of a brand new day.
Nowadays when he woke each morning, he was already exhausted from the hours of cryptic dreams that spun around his subconscious night after night, refusing to release their hold on his soul.
The dreams had slowly changed direction and over the last few weeks they had been filled with images so horrific in their detail that he was almost afraid to close his eyes. Yet, in the middle of this madness he would always find her. Swirling slightly out of his reach, his fingers would stretch out and just as he was about to touch her, demons and darkness would rip her away from him. That's how it ended, night after night, beauty, demons and darkness. It was all insane.
Something had to give.
Something did.
Angel found himself sitting on a flight to Los Angeles before he even realised what he was doing. Phone calls were simply not enough, if he was ever going to find this girl and take back his life, he knew the only person that could do something about it, was him.
So, with nothing more to go on than a blurred photograph, a strange sounding name and the city of LA, he made the decision and went for it.
Struggling with a large complex street map, a city that drove on the wrong side of the road and a strong feeling of deja vu, Liam Price left the airport and started his search.
*****
Angel was lost, tired, hungry and extremely pissed off by the time he pulled his compact hire car off the main street and parked to re-check his map.
Looking out of the car's side window for directions, his eyes caught sight of a small office with a large silver angel hanging over the door's entrance. Drawn by curiosity, Angel left the car and walked across the pavement to take a closer look.
"Angel Investigations " he read the sign aloud and liked the way it sounded.
**Angel**
In his heart he knew that Buffy was somehow tied up with the name Angel, that much he was sure of.
**Angel Investigations.... Well if that wasn't an omen, nothing was**
Angel smiled, feeling that things might just be looking up after all. This place had a good feel about it, and maybe an American detective agency would have better luck finding Buffy Summers than he ever would.
Slipping his hand in his jacket pocket, Angel pulled out the small plastic card he carried with him everywhere he went. Gently stroking the fading features that were now printed on his heart, his lips twitched into the tiniest of smiles.
"Soon, beloved" he whispered softly as his thumb brushed over the flat surface of the card.
**Beloved**
Angel wondered where such a strange expression had come from, it was weird, because he had never used the word *Beloved* in his all life.
**The sooner this was over the better**
Angel pushed open the large glass door and walked in.
*****
Cordelia Chase would never know just how talented an actress she really was. Her performance was flawless as she ended her conversation with Wesley and calmly replaced the receiver. Not a single flicker of recognition crossed her beautiful features as she looked up, through long dark lashes, and smiled through her statutory greeting.
As the words left her lips she was torn between the desire to hug her friend with sheer joy after so many years apart, and the need to slap his face for putting Wesley through so much worry over the last few months. Cordelia resisted both urges and continued to play out the masquerade.
"Can I help you?"
Angel felt strangely at ease as he walked closer and held out his hand
"Hello, my name is Liam Pryce and I'd like to employ you to find somebody for me" he waited for a few seconds and when it became obvious that the young woman behind the desk was not going to return his greeting he lowered his hand feeling slightly embarrassed.
**So much for American hospitality** he thought as he studied the woman behind the desk. There was something about her eyes that fascinated him, Angel found the woman incredibly beautiful but there was no physical attraction, she wasn't Buffy, she was lovely but, she wasn't Buffy.
Cordelia looked at the outstretched hand and swallowed hard, making no attempt to move. She might have been playing the part of her life but even she couldn't risk touching his hand. The way her fingers were trembling at that moment would have been a dead give-away that something wasn't right.
"I'm afraid we don't do missing persons" her voice responded so normally that, for a second, she had serious doubts that she was the one speaking.
Unwittingly, Cordelia then found herself staring; she simply couldn't help it. For the very first time in all the years she had known Angel she noticed changes - subtle things - but there were definitely changes. And then it struck her; it was the sunlight enhancing his appearance, it reflected off his body lightening every aspect of his being.
That was the main difference, Angel now radiated light. His skin, his hair, even his clothes, were alive with a flash of vibrant colour.
And then there was his voice, it was the same rich husky tone but, he now spoke with an English accent. Her old friend might have only said a few words so far but it was very clear, Angel sounded a cross between Giles and Spike with a little Wesley thrown in for good measure. Cordelia resisted the smile that accompanied that thought. If Angel decided to stay in America that accent would definitely have to go.
"Excuse me?"
When she realised he had asked her a question Cordelia pulled her fascinated eyes away and turned back into the actress of the year.
"I thought the sign said investigations? So what do you investigate?" Angel asked looking back at the sign painted right across the window.
Cordelia chewed nervously on the pen in her hand as she considered her reply
"It's complicated" she started but decided that telling Angel anything more might be a mistake. Although he had been in the office now a full five minutes and she was sure by the look on his face that he clearly hadn't recognised her, Cordelia really didn't want to say anything more until she had checked back with Wesley and Gunn. She snapped her head up on realising that Angel had continued with his questions.
"Then maybe you could suggest somebody else that could help me, I need to find this girl" Angel opened his hand and offered a small photograph.
**Oh, shit** Cordelia silently muttered as the image of the one girl she could never help him find, came into view.
**Wesley hadn't told her that Angel now had a picture of Buffy** At that point Cordelia's brain went into overload, knowing that if they didn't offer to take the case, Angel would just turn around and find somebody else who would, and knowing their luck....
"Mr. Pryce, please take a seat, I'm sorry. Of course we can help you, let's get some details" she dropped down into her own seat and smiled until her cheeks hurt.
Thirty minutes later...
Cordelia picked up the phone and quickly dialed the number committed to memory.
"He's just left the office. No, of course I couldn't stop him leaving. What do you suggest, that I tie him up? He wants us to find Buffy for him. No, I didn't turn him down, I told him we'd take the case and then I gave him the address of a convenient Hotel, that way we know where he is and what he is doing" Cordelia quickly volleyed back the answers to Wesley's onslaught of questions.
After a few minutes Wesley panic attack seemed to die out and he admitted that under the circumstances, Cordelia had handled the situation amazingly well.
"Thank you, I agree. I was pretty damn convincing" she finally laughed as a little of the tension, she too had been feeling, started to slip away.
Cordelia then stopped congratulating herself as she realised they were far from out of the woods. Angel was now waiting for them to get in touch with him and from the impatient look on his face; he wouldn't be waiting too long.
"Okay, so that was the easy part out of the way but, Wesley, What the hell are we going to do next?"
TBC...