A Night on the Town

By Viv

~*~* Part Two *~*~

Cordelia's peals of laughter resonated through the quiet cafe before she clasped a hand over her mouth, stifling herself in partial embarrassment. She slapped Angel's shoulder playfully, both annoyed and giddy that Angel had so much instinctive command over her emotions. With one expression he could make her laugh or make her cry, and she was, for all intents and purposes, powerless to stop it.

A tiny giggle escaped her. "Oh you're so going to pay mister." She clutched her sides in mock distress. "Look! I laughed so hard I almost cracked a rib."

He grinned devilishly, his eyes sparkling in the warmly lit room. "Wouldn't want that." His voice was low, melodious, and it sent a hum of anticipation through her body. "How can I make it up to you?" He leaned in closer; if he had needed to breathe she would have felt his breath heavy on her skin. Their eyes were only inches away.

Time stilled exquisitely as she saw him lean in for the kiss. She was glad, because it gave her the capacity to savour the tender sweetness that only Angel was capable of.

Their lips met, and to Cordelia it felt as wonderful and dreamy and passionate as their first kiss had been. So many times now, this tender act had been repeated. But it never lost its potency or its life; if anything, it had gained from the deeper understanding their love had engendered in them. When they kissed Cordelia felt the world melting away, and they were left to stand on the threshold of something both delicious and wonderful and exciting and exquisitely painful - a veritable kaleidoscope of emotions, all concentrated in one single, powerful moment in time.

She gave a youthful chuckle as he drew away from her, his eyes still dancing in the light. "How was that?" He asked, uncertainty underlying the mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Good." Cordelia nodded her head, a smile breaking over her face. "I mean, great. Wonderful. Exciting. Coffee breath."

Angel looked taken aback, but gave a little sheepish chuckle of his own. He reached for the coffee sitting on the table, shifting his weight to extend himself off the comfortable couch of the cafe. "Yeah I know what you mean."

"Hey." Cordelia playfully whacked him across the chest. "Watch it."

"Excuse me." A young woman in her mid- to late-20s was staring down at them, an inquiring expression on her face.

"Yes?" Cordelia glanced quickly over at Angel, who had stiffened slightly at the intrusion. It took very little to make his vampiric senses edgy.

"I couldn't help but wonder - may I?" She settled onto the small lumpy chair next to them as Cordelia nodded. "You must think I'm really weird, just talking to strangers like this."

"Oh ... I think we've seen worse." Cordelia eyed Angel conspiratorially.

"Good. I mean - whatever." The woman shook the thought off and proceeded. "Anyway, I'm doing this story on the modern L.A couple in the 21st century, and I couldn't help but notice ..."

"What?" Cordelia looked slightly panicked. Did they look strange? Not normal coupley which, granted, they weren't but still, was it that obvious that they were some uber demon couple and maybe it wasn't such a great idea to have a 'night out on the town' when they weren't exactly 'normal'.

The woman was looking at her strangely, but obviously decided to go on. "Well, I couldn't help but notice how ... nice you guys looked. You know, happy. A happy couple." She gestured to her bag. "As I said, I'm doing this story, and ... I took a picture and ... would you guys mind if I interviewed you?"

"What - now?" Angel asked incredulously.

Sensing his distaste for the idea, the woman quickly rushed on. "Oh, it'll only be for a few minutes. Fifteen at most." She smiled. "I wouldn't want to take up too much of your night."

Angel shrugged at Cordelia. "Whatever you want."

"Oh ... okay then. What did you want to ask?"

The woman quickly whipped out her notebook and tape recorder, her eagerness almost infectious in the generous mood of the cafe. "Just some simple questions really, our readers are pretty young. Mostly what young girls usually like to read about - how long have you been together, when did you first meet, what are your plans for the future. The standard."

"Oh." Cordelia coloured, unsure of how to begin. After all, how did one go about describing her and Angel's long and convoluted history?

The woman smiled as her journalistic instinct kicked in. "Let me start at the beginning." She shifted her note book from one hand to the other. "Do you mind if I record this?"

"I suppose not." She felt Angel's arm snake possessively around her body before settling around her waist.

The woman smiled, eager to begin. "So, how did you two meet?"

***

A faint knock at the door at last drew Xander's attention away from the picture of Angel and Cordelia in the magazine he held in his hands. Dawn and Giles, however, remained eerily entranced by the sheer improbability of it.

"Hey people, look who's here. Buffy." Xander led a tired looking Slayer into the main room of his apartment. He looked pointedly at Giles and Dawn, gesturing at the magazine in her hands. "The Buffmeister."

"What are you guys doing?" Buffy looked at the three of them, her large blue orbs narrowing in immediate suspicion. "Okay, I'm definitely sensing a weird vibe around here. They don't pay me to be the Slayer for nothing." She stopped before digesting her own statement. "Okay so they don't actually pay me, but ..." she pouted, "you know what I mean."

Dawn smiled weakly, already wondering how she could extricate herself out of this one.

"Buffy, do you want some tea? I believe Xander actually has some." Giles held up his cup lamely, as if proving more to himself that Xander had actually stocked his apartment with a civilised drink.

Buffy frowned. "Okay, now I'm really wigged. Giles offering me English breakfast? What gives?"

Dawn looked at the other two with a defeated look on her face, silently urging them to come up with a way to distract her too-sharp sister. Instead Xander floundered, unable to utter a syllable while Giles looked calmly on, sipping his cooling tea. Dawn sighed.

"You promise you won't get upset?"

Buffy's mouth creased into a smile, although she tried unsuccessfully to smother it into a frown. "Okay, what did you now? I hope I don't have to see your principal again, because God, I don't want to see her ever again. Not that she's a bad woman or anything. She's wise. You should listen to her."

"No, it's nothing like that. It's just ..." Dawn held the magazine out gingerly in front of her, turning worried eyes onto her sister. "You've been through so much, and ... I don't want to show you anything that would upset you." She snatched back the magazine that had been within seconds of Buffy's grasp. "So maybe you shouldn't see it."

Buffy smiled. "Come on Dawnie, you know me better than that. Don't dangle the carrot and expect Buffy bunny to not bite." She held out her hand, into which Dawn reluctantly surrendered the magazine.

She made a last ditch effort as Buffy started glancing at the page. "Just ... just remember it's all in the past."

Buffy lifted up puzzled eyes. "Huh?" Her gaze drifted back down onto the page as she started reading earnestly.

Her brows shot up in the air as Dawn withheld a grimace, imagining the possible amounts of pain that Buffy might be experiencing at that moment.

"Am I reading this right?" She asked the others incredulously. "This is Angel and Cordelia, right? As in Angel ... and Cordelia."

The others mutely nodded.

Xander decided that it was time he piped up. "It was a shock to me too. I mean ... we're so not in high school any more, you know?"

I hear you." Buffy divested herself of her bags and settled onto the couch, her eyes eagerly scanning the contents. "L.A couples in the 21st century." She read out loud. "What are L.A couples like in the 21st century? Seventeen went in search of the typical couple through some of L.A's trendiest night spots. Phyllis Addison reports." Buffy scrunched up her nose. "What is this magazine anyway?"

Dawn flipped the magazine back on its cover. "Seventeen."

"What are Angel and Cordelia doing in here?"

"Just read on." Dawn urged.

Buffy gave a shrug of her shoulders and continued. "So what is the typical 21st century L.A couple like? Yadda yadda, skipping the boring." Buffy's eyes impatiently scanned further down the page. "What we found was that there is no typical 21st century L.A couple
because, let's face it, the new millennium is about variety and change." Buffy paused. "God, did I actually read these in high school?"

She mentally shook off the thought and read on. "Here are some of the more interesting couples we met during the night ... Tim and Andie ... Matt and James ... - oh look, they're both actors. I wonder if they've been in anything? Why are cute guys always gay?"

Xander rolled his eyes. "Come on Buff, focus."

"Oh, right." Buffy read on. "Oh here they are: Angel and Cordy."

Giles, who had staunchly resisted the temptation before, now surreptitiously leaned in for a closer look.

Cordy, 22 and Angel, 27 are partners in an agency in Downtown L.A, which they set up to help people in need. Angel has a son, Stephen, from a previous relationship.

How did you meet? Cordy: Oh, er, I guess in high school. He was ... going out with a sort of friend of mine at the time.

Was it love at first sight? Cordy: (laughs) Oh no, definitely not. I guess I had a little crush on him, but I got over it pretty quickly.

Angel: You had a crush on me?!

How long have you been together? Cordy: Not that long actually. It's all pretty new. (pauses) We'd been friends for ages and I guess it was a hard step to take, you know, the whole 'should we do this and potentially ruin our friendship' thing. And I guess he was always the gorgeous older guy type ... at least during high school.

Angel: I'm not *that* old.

Cordy: And I guess to me he was always sort of unattainable ... you know, because he went out with that friend of mine, and it was a big deal, and then I don't know ...

Angel: I guess we didn't plan on falling in love.

How did you get together then? Cordy: It's a *long* story.

Angel: A *really* long story.

Cordy: Cliff notes version? Angel kinda found me in a bad place a few years ago, and well, he basically saved my life. We became good friends after that and ... even though we went through some *really* tough times, especially in the last year or two, we've helped each other through them, I think.

Cordy, what do you like about Angel? He's sensitive, sweet, strong, and has *really* good taste in clothes. He's intelligent, caring, kind, heroic - a champion.

Dislikes? Obsessive cleanliness - and he worries too much over me.

Angel, what do you like about Cordy? Her soul. She's kind and caring, and sweet and sensitive, and the most freely loving person that I know.

Dislikes? Well ... sometimes she drives me crazy when she gets peanut butter on the bed. But other than that - nothing.

Any plans for the future? Cordy: To enjoy life with each other.

Buffy looked up with startled yes. "Whoa, back up a minute. Since when did Angel have a son?" She turned inquiring eyes onto Giles. "Since when can a vampire reproduce?"

Giles snatched the glasses off his face and proceeded to rub imaginary dust away anxiously. "I ... I'm not sure actually. From all the texts I've read, it shouldn't be possible for a vampire to procreate. Of course, nothing's infallible. Obviously something ... momentous has occurred, in order for this to happen. Yes," he absently put on his glasses again, "I'd very much like to do some research on it when I get home."

"Yeah well, I'd hate to be the voice of reason because - how scary would that be - but ... why can't we just call them? You know, use the scary handset thing we call a phone?" Xander suggested.

"Yes. That's ... rather a good idea." He patted Xander on the back with a look of surprised approval. "Well done."

Xander looked abashedly away. Dawn meanwhile, sidled up to her sister softly. "Are you okay Buffy?"

"Sure." Buffy exclaimed with false brightness. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Dawn gave her a mature look of reproof. "You know why. I just don't want you to be ... you know, sad."

"No ... I don't think I am." Buffy allowed a trace of regret to linger in her voice as she studied the photo in front of her.

Angel and Cordelia were both smiling, clearly happy in each other's company. Cordelia appeared to be sitting on Angel's lap, and she had an arm casually slung around his shoulders. She was laughing, and he was looking up at her, with an adoring expression etched on his timeless face. She didn't think she'd ever seen Angel look so alive.

They looked so natural, so comfortable, so at ease with each other - that was what stung Buffy the most. It wasn't because Angel had found someone else to love, or even that someone else had turned out to be Cordelia - it was just that aching regret, that small voice that whispered 'if only', that could have been her and Angel sitting in that cafe, being interviewed by that woman.

She sighed, allowing the moment to pass. She felt Xander's eyes on her and she looked up, grateful to see comfort in its mirrored depths. "I'm not upset ... really." She pronounced earnestly. "I'm glad for them. Things have changed so much, and so much has happened ... they deserve to find happiness. Don't you think?" She asked Xander a little too eagerly, as if wanting him to bolster her generous sentiments.

He smiled warmly at her. "I think."

"Yeah." Buffy felt a warmth of friendship infuse her, and she rose from the couch, suddenly eager to depart. "I ... Things look kinda quiet tonight. I think ... I think I might go home and make a call."

Dawn rose up to join her sister, giving her a reassuring smile. "Yeah. And I can get my homework done tonight."

The sisters quickly departed. As Xander closed the door gently behind them, he asked Giles quietly, perched on a chair in the corner, "Do you think she'll be all right?"

Giles nodded confidently. "Yes. Yes, I believe so."

***

The woman got up off the seat and smiled graciously. "Well, I guess that's it. Thank you very much for your time." She slung her bag over her shoulders and made as if to go. "By the way, I'm Phyllis."

Cordelia shook the woman's outstretched hand. "It was nice to meet you. And interesting too. When um ... when will the story be published?" Cordelia felt Angel nudge her on her side, but decided to ignore it. "I mean, if I wanted to get a copy or something."

Phyllis smiled, her brown eyes twinkling in the light. "Next month. It's not rocket science, but it gets the bills paid. Anyway, I'll leave you two to enjoy the rest of your night." Smiling in farewell, she retreated quickly out of sight.

Cordelia looked at Angel, amusement still clearly lighted on her face. "Well that was interesting."

"Yeah." Angel cleared his throat as he swirled his cold coffee. "I can't believe that just happened. I mean, I've done a lot of things in my time, but I've never been interviewed. Famous for my torture style yes ... interviewed, no."

Cordelia screwed her nose up in momentary revulsion. "Don't let's reminisce, okay?" She patted his thigh insistently. "Besides, I'm getting tired. I think it's time you delivered on your promises pal."

"What promises?" Angel feigned innocence, while his chocolate brown eyes danced with mischief.

"Oh you better not have forgotten. Or there'll be much more than hell to pay, you can bet on it."

Angel drew her in for a quick kiss, before getting up off the couch and dragging her up with him. "Cor, you know I'd never do that. I cherish each and every moment with you."

"Don't try to sweet talk me." Her harsh words were utterly softened by the love shining from her hazel eyes. "You have to pay the bill."

"As if I'd forget." Angel muttered under his breath.

"What's that?" Cordelia eyed him carefully, her defiant look daring him to repeat the comment.

Angel's head snapped back to attention. "Nothing."

Cordelia smiled, gracious in victory, as she slipped her small frame under his. "You know I love you, right?"

Angel's heart caught in his throat. No matter how many times she had told him, there was always a moment of disbelief between hearing her say those words and seeing the look in her eyes. For him, it only took one look at the love shining from those glorious hazel eyes to reassure him that he wasn't living in a dream; that this was actually his life. That this beautiful, smart and gorgeous woman was his girl.

"Yeah." His voice was husky with emotion as his insistent fingers entwined with hers. "I love you too."

They luxuriated for a while in the warmth of their love, before breaking eye contact. Outside, the chilly L.A night made Cordelia shiver with cold.

Angel quickly wrapped himself around her, then remembered something odd from a few moments before. "So, you had a crush on me in high school?" He asked, bemused.

Cordelia remained infuriatingly silent.

(c) June 2002