Part Five
L.A.
6:30
"Angel...whatever-your-last-name-is-anyway," Cordelia trailed off
with a sigh. She looked down the hallway, and stomped her high-heeled
foot. "I don't care if there are fifty rooms on this floor and fifty
on the next, I WILL FIND YOU!" she yelled.
Angel stepped out of a room two doors down, and glared at her. He
tried, anyway. "Does the fact that I want to be alone right now
matter in the _least_ to you?" he questioned as she walked past him
into the room.
"Yes, but only because it means you don't _need_ to be alone right
now," Cordelia said matter-of-factly. "Look, Angel. I don't know what
you're feeling, because I've never been dead and then came back to
life. But I know that you never stopped loving Buffy Summers, Angel.
And I know that she never stopped loving you either."
"How do you know that?" Angel asked, sitting on a chair and looking
up at her. The fear in his eyes that it maybe wouldn't be true broke
her heart.
"Because she didn't have a choice in loving you," Cordelia said
simply, sitting on a chair across from him. "And I also don't think
it's a mistake of fate that your redemption happened when it did.
It's time, Angel."
Angel knew what she was talking about. She'd had a vision of Riley's
death a year earlier, and had urged him to go to Buffy. He hadn't,
knowing there was nothing he could do or say to make it better. "But
how do I know she doesn't know that I knew? How do I know she doesn't
hate me for it?"
Cordelia stared at him for a moment, sorting out the many phrases and
their meanings. She finally got it straight, she hoped, and
said, "Angel, I don't think she hates you, even if she knows that you
knew about Riley's death. But there's only one way all these
questions will be answered, you need to call her. On second thought,
a phone call isn't going to do the trick. So when are you leaving?"
She stood, and looked at him expectantly.
Angel didn't answer, just shook his head.
"I'll drive you there myself if I have to," Cordelia threatened. "But
you're going, because you are no good to any of us until you have at
least faced her. The worst thing that can happen is that she will
send you on your merry way --" At Angel's stricken look at her, she
added "--which isn't going to happen anyway."
He tried the 'ignore her and she'll go away' tactic. He looked up
after ten minutes; she was still there. "You're not going away," he
said with a sigh.
"Very observant of you," she replied drily.
"You're going to keep nagging until I give in," this more a statement
than a question. He didn't HAVE to ask, this was Cordelia Chase,
after all.
"Well, _I_ prefer to think of it as persuading, but yeah," Cordelia
replied with a grin.
He sighed in irritation, but shrugged. He knew when he was
beaten. "In the morning," he conceded.
"Promise me," Cordelia said.
"Go home, Cordy. Take the day off, because I won't be here" Angel
assured her.
"G'nite, Angel," she said, ruffling his hair on her way by and
walking to the door.
"And Cordy?"
She turned to look at him, "Yeah?"
"Thanks," he said with a smile.
"Well, I knew _that_ already," she grinned at him. "But you're
welcome all the same," she added before leaving.
***************
Sunnydale
11 pm
"Buffy?" Willow looked over at her friend worriedly. "This is a funny
movie, and you're not laughing."
"Hm?" Buffy looked over at her and tried not to laugh at the
entangled state that was Willow and Xander. They were not acting like
the nearly forty-year old adults they were, but like a couple of
sixteen year olds. *I guess true love makes you act like a kid, no
matter how old you really are* she mused. She caught Willow looking
at her questioningly and said, "I was just thinking about something."
"I love you. I try not to, but I can't stop," Angel said to her.
"Me...Me, too. I can't either," she replied.
*Why am I thinking about Angel so much today? This has just been
another day in the life of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. And he hasn't
been part of that life for so long, there's no reason I should be
thinking about him now.
"Buff?"
"Huh?" Buffy looked over at Xander, who'd knocked her out of her
musings this time. "Sorry, guys. I'm not really in the best mood for
being around people, I guess."
"You don't have to entertain us," Xander replied. "But it's obvious
something's wrong. We're just worried, that's all," he added.
"I don't know what it is," Buffy said with a sigh. "Whatever I felt
earlier today just threw me off more than usual. I'll be fine,
though." She looked around. "Where's Giles?"
"Giles went up to bed," Willow replied. "And we know you've been a
million miles away if you didn't notice that. He said goodnight,
and 'feel free to stay as long as you like.'"
"I guess I'm just tired, it has been a long day," Buffy said. "I'll
be good after sleep. And work tomorrow," she added with a yawn. She'd
been helping her mom at the art museum since she'd graduated. She'd
told herself, Riley, and Mom it would be temporary, but temporary had
turned into twenty years. When her mother had died, Buffy had taken
over her responsibilities as well, without thinking too much about
it. It was a good job, something she was relatively good at. And It
definitely paid the bills.
"I should go home, I guess," she said then, standing slowly.
Willow and Xander untangled themselves from the couch, and Xander
offered, "Come on, we'll drive you."
"Thanks," Buffy didn't argue, she was too tired. The fewer demons
tonight, the better for Buffy. She wasn't up for a fight.
**********
L.A.
6:30
"Angel...whatever-your-last-name-is-anyway," Cordelia trailed off
with a sigh. She looked down the hallway, and stomped her high-heeled
foot. "I don't care if there are fifty rooms on this floor and fifty
on the next, I WILL FIND YOU!" she yelled.
Angel stepped out of a room two doors down, and glared at her. He
tried, anyway. "Does the fact that I want to be alone right now
matter in the _least_ to you?" he questioned as she walked past him
into the room.
"Yes, but only because it means you don't _need_ to be alone right
now," Cordelia said matter-of-factly. "Look, Angel. I don't know what
you're feeling, because I've never been dead and then came back to
life. But I know that you never stopped loving Buffy Summers, Angel.
And I know that she never stopped loving you either."
"How do you know that?" Angel asked, sitting on a chair and looking
up at her. The fear in his eyes that it maybe wouldn't be true broke
her heart.
"Because she didn't have a choice in loving you," Cordelia said
simply, sitting on a chair across from him. "And I also don't think
it's a mistake of fate that your redemption happened when it did.
It's time, Angel."
Angel knew what she was talking about. She'd had a vision of Riley's
death a year earlier, and had urged him to go to Buffy. He hadn't,
knowing there was nothing he could do or say to make it better. "But
how do I know she doesn't know that I knew? How do I know she doesn't
hate me for it?"
Cordelia stared at him for a moment, sorting out the many phrases and
their meanings. She finally got it straight, she hoped, and
said, "Angel, I don't think she hates you, even if she knows that you
knew about Riley's death. But there's only one way all these
questions will be answered, you need to call her. On second thought,
a phone call isn't going to do the trick. So when are you leaving?"
She stood, and looked at him expectantly.
Angel didn't answer, just shook his head.
"I'll drive you there myself if I have to," Cordelia threatened. "But
you're going, because you are no good to any of us until you have at
least faced her. The worst thing that can happen is that she will
send you on your merry way --" At Angel's stricken look at her, she
added "--which isn't going to happen anyway."
He tried the 'ignore her and she'll go away' tactic. He looked up
after ten minutes; she was still there. "You're not going away," he
said with a sigh.
"Very observant of you," she replied drily.
"You're going to keep nagging until I give in," this more a statement
than a question. He didn't HAVE to ask, this was Cordelia Chase,
after all.
"Well, _I_ prefer to think of it as persuading, but yeah," Cordelia
replied with a grin.
He sighed in irritation, but shrugged. He knew when he was
beaten. "In the morning," he conceded.
"Promise me," Cordelia said.
"Go home, Cordy. Take the day off, because I won't be here" Angel
assured her.
"G'nite, Angel," she said, ruffling his hair on her way by and
walking to the door.
"And Cordy?"
She turned to look at him, "Yeah?"
"Thanks," he said with a smile.
"Well, I knew _that_ already," she grinned at him. "But you're
welcome all the same," she added before leaving.
***************
Sunnydale
11 pm
"Buffy?" Willow looked over at her friend worriedly. "This is a funny
movie, and you're not laughing."
"Hm?" Buffy looked over at her and tried not to laugh at the
entangled state that was Willow and Xander. They were not acting like
the nearly forty-year old adults they were, but like a couple of
sixteen year olds. *I guess true love makes you act like a kid, no
matter how old you really are* she mused. She caught Willow looking
at her questioningly and said, "I was just thinking about something."
"I love you. I try not to, but I can't stop," Angel said to her.
"Me...Me, too. I can't either," she replied.
*Why am I thinking about Angel so much today? This has just been
another day in the life of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. And he hasn't
been part of that life for so long, there's no reason I should be
thinking about him now.
"Buff?"
"Huh?" Buffy looked over at Xander, who'd knocked her out of her
musings this time. "Sorry, guys. I'm not really in the best mood for
being around people, I guess."
"You don't have to entertain us," Xander replied. "But it's obvious
something's wrong. We're just worried, that's all," he added.
"I don't know what it is," Buffy said with a sigh. "Whatever I felt
earlier today just threw me off more than usual. I'll be fine,
though." She looked around. "Where's Giles?"
"Giles went up to bed," Willow replied. "And we know you've been a
million miles away if you didn't notice that. He said goodnight,
and 'feel free to stay as long as you like.'"
"I guess I'm just tired, it has been a long day," Buffy said. "I'll
be good after sleep. And work tomorrow," she added with a yawn. She'd
been helping her mom at the art museum since she'd graduated. She'd
told herself, Riley, and Mom it would be temporary, but temporary had
turned into twenty years. When her mother had died, Buffy had taken
over her responsibilities as well, without thinking too much about
it. It was a good job, something she was relatively good at. And It
definitely paid the bills.
"I should go home, I guess," she said then, standing slowly.
Willow and Xander untangled themselves from the couch, and Xander
offered, "Come on, we'll drive you."
"Thanks," Buffy didn't argue, she was too tired. The fewer demons
tonight, the better for Buffy. She wasn't up for a fight.
**********