Disclaimer in earlier chapters
Authors notes: I stayed up late last night writing three more chapters. I'm going to post one a day, because I need to stay ahead. I still need help with a title so any suggestions are welcome. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed. That was greatly appreciated. I don't mind hearing from you more then once. Thanks again.
Chapter Three - Reunion
Gunn stopped his truck in front of the Hyperion Hotel and turned off the ignition. "Are you sure we want to do this? I mean Cordy had some really good points."
"I understand that she's hurt. We were hurt too, but she'll come around and thank us for this later."
"If you say so." They jumped out of the truck and headed for the door.
~~~
Angel smiled as he walked down the stairs to the hotel lobby. The last few days of his life had been amazing. Granted he spent most of it, well all of it, upstairs making love to the love of his life. He couldn't keep the goofy grin off his face.
He poured himself a cup of coffee and took a deep swallow. Memories of sewage passing for coffee made him frown. Cordelia never learned how to make a decent cup of coffee. Cordelia. Cordelia, Wesley and Gunn all must hate him. With good reason, he treated them terribly. "Well I just have to go fix that."
A pair of feminine arms wrapped around his middle, "You have to go fix what?"
Angel turned in Buffy's embrace and returned it, "I have to go and try to make amends with Cordelia, Wes and Gunn."
"You don't have to do that now," she pulled him in for a kiss, "Plenty of time for that later."
The sound of someone clearing their throat brought them both spinning around to face a smiling Wesley and Gunn.
"I hear congratulations is in order." Wesley walked towards the happy couple.
"Hey Wes, Gunn, I was just about to come to see you," Angel took Wesley's offered hand and shook it.
"Think nothing of it. Are we back in business?"
Angel smiled at the ex-watcher, "Yes, were back. Where's Cordy?"
"Um.She was a little upset that you hadn't told us yet. I assured her that you were just," he glanced at Buffy, "busy. Give her a couple of days to come round."
Angel hugged Buffy close to him with one arm, "How did you find out?"
"Oh, some big, bleach blonde, bad-ass vampire told us. He was kind of funny. Got the feeling he was into you," Gunn held out a hand to Buffy, "Charles Gunn, but everyone calls me Gunn."
"Buffy Summers. Nice to meet you." Turning to Wesley, "Good to see you again."
"Like wise."
"Hey guys, I never realized how tiring shopping can be," Willow Rosenburg said as she and her boyfriend Xander Harris walked through the door.
"Yeah, Sunnydale's one stop shop has everything you need. But here three- thousand different stores have everything you need. I'm dead," they both fell on to the couch with out even noticing Wesley or Gunn.
"Hey guys," Buffy got their attention, "this is Gunn and you remember Wesley."
"Girly man, how could we forget," Xander imitated his scream and laughed at his own joke, but received glares from everyone.
"Yes, of course. The sarcastic one, just what we need," Wesley rolled his eyes.
No one said a word for over a minute. The tension in the room was pulpable. Wesley glared at Xander for his rude comment, Xander and Willow looked at their feet. Buffy hid behind Angel watching Wesley warily. Gunn just stood there looking at everyone.
Angel decided to break the tension. "Willow, why don't you and Xander take your bags to your room." They both seemed relieved with that escape plan, "Buffy why don't you help them?"
"Sure, well bye," the Scoobies nearly ran out of the lobby.
Angel offered the guys some coffee. Once they were settled on the couch Angel apologized, "I'm so sorry for everything I put you through these last few months."
"It was nothing, Angel. Every man has to be alone sometimes and we accept that," Wesley brushed it off.
"I really should talk to Cordy. If she's too upset to come here then maybe I should go to her."
"That might be a good idea. But if she puts you off this time, I wouldn't be to daunted, she took your firing us harder then we did," Wesley gestured to Gunn and himself.
Angel looked at them with sad puppy dog eyes, "Do you think she'll forgive me?"
"Eventually. She's also a little upset that Xander and Willow are staying in LA. It brings back bad memories of high school or something."
"Why? What did they do to her in high school?" Gunn asked, "I thought she just didn't want to be the bitch again."
"That's part of it," Wes explained, "She dated Xander in high school until her and Willow's boyfriend walked in on him kissing Willow."
"Oh," he nodded in understanding. "Wait, he chose her over our Cordy? She must have a great personality."
"They grew up together," Angel provided.
"Oh, they played doctor. I get it now. Renewed feelings of lust. The forbidden fruit. You never want it 'til you can't have it. And when you get it you realize not a sweet as it said." At the looks Angel and Wes gave him he said, "I used to have a girlfriend like that. Didn't work out."
"Okay. Let's go see Cordy."
The drive to Cordelia's was silent. Each man was deep in thought. When they pulled up to her apartment building they all gave themselves mental shakes.
They jumped out of the car and walked to her door. Angel knocked and they waited. He tried again to no avail, then tried the knob. It was locked.
Wesley nudged him aside, "I have a key," he went on to explain at Angel's odd look, "When you first fired us we worked out of here."
They entered the apartment and noticed the disarray. Angel's facial expression turned from guilty worried. "What happened here?"
"I don't know," Wesley went into her room calling to Cordelia.
Angel looked around the living room, "She's not here. Where is she."
"Her clothes are missing," Wesley said coming out of Cordelia's room, "She's gone."
"Where?" Gunn also started getting worried.
"She probably needed sometime to herself and didn't want to be disturbed. I'm sure there's no reason to worry."
Gunn started for the door, "Yeah, I guess."
"We should probably leave. She'll come to us eventually. Angel?"
Angel was looking at the apartment that he had stayed in only a few months ago, before he went dark. Before he fired the people he cared about. Before he threw away his key to redemption. Before he pushed his best friend away. He walked through the door, "She'll come back."
Authors notes: I stayed up late last night writing three more chapters. I'm going to post one a day, because I need to stay ahead. I still need help with a title so any suggestions are welcome. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed. That was greatly appreciated. I don't mind hearing from you more then once. Thanks again.
Chapter Three - Reunion
Gunn stopped his truck in front of the Hyperion Hotel and turned off the ignition. "Are you sure we want to do this? I mean Cordy had some really good points."
"I understand that she's hurt. We were hurt too, but she'll come around and thank us for this later."
"If you say so." They jumped out of the truck and headed for the door.
~~~
Angel smiled as he walked down the stairs to the hotel lobby. The last few days of his life had been amazing. Granted he spent most of it, well all of it, upstairs making love to the love of his life. He couldn't keep the goofy grin off his face.
He poured himself a cup of coffee and took a deep swallow. Memories of sewage passing for coffee made him frown. Cordelia never learned how to make a decent cup of coffee. Cordelia. Cordelia, Wesley and Gunn all must hate him. With good reason, he treated them terribly. "Well I just have to go fix that."
A pair of feminine arms wrapped around his middle, "You have to go fix what?"
Angel turned in Buffy's embrace and returned it, "I have to go and try to make amends with Cordelia, Wes and Gunn."
"You don't have to do that now," she pulled him in for a kiss, "Plenty of time for that later."
The sound of someone clearing their throat brought them both spinning around to face a smiling Wesley and Gunn.
"I hear congratulations is in order." Wesley walked towards the happy couple.
"Hey Wes, Gunn, I was just about to come to see you," Angel took Wesley's offered hand and shook it.
"Think nothing of it. Are we back in business?"
Angel smiled at the ex-watcher, "Yes, were back. Where's Cordy?"
"Um.She was a little upset that you hadn't told us yet. I assured her that you were just," he glanced at Buffy, "busy. Give her a couple of days to come round."
Angel hugged Buffy close to him with one arm, "How did you find out?"
"Oh, some big, bleach blonde, bad-ass vampire told us. He was kind of funny. Got the feeling he was into you," Gunn held out a hand to Buffy, "Charles Gunn, but everyone calls me Gunn."
"Buffy Summers. Nice to meet you." Turning to Wesley, "Good to see you again."
"Like wise."
"Hey guys, I never realized how tiring shopping can be," Willow Rosenburg said as she and her boyfriend Xander Harris walked through the door.
"Yeah, Sunnydale's one stop shop has everything you need. But here three- thousand different stores have everything you need. I'm dead," they both fell on to the couch with out even noticing Wesley or Gunn.
"Hey guys," Buffy got their attention, "this is Gunn and you remember Wesley."
"Girly man, how could we forget," Xander imitated his scream and laughed at his own joke, but received glares from everyone.
"Yes, of course. The sarcastic one, just what we need," Wesley rolled his eyes.
No one said a word for over a minute. The tension in the room was pulpable. Wesley glared at Xander for his rude comment, Xander and Willow looked at their feet. Buffy hid behind Angel watching Wesley warily. Gunn just stood there looking at everyone.
Angel decided to break the tension. "Willow, why don't you and Xander take your bags to your room." They both seemed relieved with that escape plan, "Buffy why don't you help them?"
"Sure, well bye," the Scoobies nearly ran out of the lobby.
Angel offered the guys some coffee. Once they were settled on the couch Angel apologized, "I'm so sorry for everything I put you through these last few months."
"It was nothing, Angel. Every man has to be alone sometimes and we accept that," Wesley brushed it off.
"I really should talk to Cordy. If she's too upset to come here then maybe I should go to her."
"That might be a good idea. But if she puts you off this time, I wouldn't be to daunted, she took your firing us harder then we did," Wesley gestured to Gunn and himself.
Angel looked at them with sad puppy dog eyes, "Do you think she'll forgive me?"
"Eventually. She's also a little upset that Xander and Willow are staying in LA. It brings back bad memories of high school or something."
"Why? What did they do to her in high school?" Gunn asked, "I thought she just didn't want to be the bitch again."
"That's part of it," Wes explained, "She dated Xander in high school until her and Willow's boyfriend walked in on him kissing Willow."
"Oh," he nodded in understanding. "Wait, he chose her over our Cordy? She must have a great personality."
"They grew up together," Angel provided.
"Oh, they played doctor. I get it now. Renewed feelings of lust. The forbidden fruit. You never want it 'til you can't have it. And when you get it you realize not a sweet as it said." At the looks Angel and Wes gave him he said, "I used to have a girlfriend like that. Didn't work out."
"Okay. Let's go see Cordy."
The drive to Cordelia's was silent. Each man was deep in thought. When they pulled up to her apartment building they all gave themselves mental shakes.
They jumped out of the car and walked to her door. Angel knocked and they waited. He tried again to no avail, then tried the knob. It was locked.
Wesley nudged him aside, "I have a key," he went on to explain at Angel's odd look, "When you first fired us we worked out of here."
They entered the apartment and noticed the disarray. Angel's facial expression turned from guilty worried. "What happened here?"
"I don't know," Wesley went into her room calling to Cordelia.
Angel looked around the living room, "She's not here. Where is she."
"Her clothes are missing," Wesley said coming out of Cordelia's room, "She's gone."
"Where?" Gunn also started getting worried.
"She probably needed sometime to herself and didn't want to be disturbed. I'm sure there's no reason to worry."
Gunn started for the door, "Yeah, I guess."
"We should probably leave. She'll come to us eventually. Angel?"
Angel was looking at the apartment that he had stayed in only a few months ago, before he went dark. Before he fired the people he cared about. Before he threw away his key to redemption. Before he pushed his best friend away. He walked through the door, "She'll come back."
