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PART SIX
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'Hey, we're back!' Gunn announced as they entered the hotel.
Spike and Angel were seated on the couch, Connor on Spike's lap. They were caught up in a conversation...
'And we've brought some more company.' Gunn then continued, gesturing at Gilly who was standing shyly behind Fred.
Angel and Spike smiled at the girl.
'She's an old friend of mine... well, not old of course... She's from back home...my old home that is now right? Is it okay if she's staying over?' Fred asked
'I...' Angel stammered
'Thanks!' Fred continued, dragging Gilly towards the stairs, ready to give her the tour of the house.
'Don't ask.' Gunn said with a sigh as he went to sit down with Angel and Spike, 'We ran into her at the market... Cordelia's not at home?'
'She's on a date.' Spike said, a smile covering his face. Angel just looked down, sadness to be read on his.
'Oh.'
*-*-*
Lindsey sighed as he put the phone down and went into his bedroom, pulling a suitcase from under the bed. He wished he didn't have to do this, but they needed his help. And besides, he owed that to Richard... After all, he only saved his life, and lent him money... Now it was his turn to help out, and he swore he'd try, even if that meant going back to LA. He remembered Angel, and how he himself had swore not to return to LA again, but he just had to now... This was different, and as long as he didn't run into Angel, or Wolfram and Hart too for that matter, things would be fine.
*-*-*
It was only one o'clock when he came home. He tossed his jacked over the chair, put on some music, then allowed himself to relax and sunk into the couch. He was smiling. His simple trick had worked, and she hadn't even noticed. He'd asked her to see the ring again... 'Because the jeweller called me...there might have been a misunderstanding.' and he told her a little story about a couple who had chosen a ring, and had it engraved, but now the jeweller had sold the ring to someone else etc., etc., and he should check if it wasn't the wrong ring he'd bought...
As he got it in his hand, he had dropped it on the floor and made the change.
'Big boss can be proud.' He said as he opened a can of beer.
*-*-*
'Beep beep...beep beep...beep beep..' He heard while he was playing volleyball on the beach... He'd been there all day long, playing in the sand with Connor, rubbing Cordy's back with sunscreen so she wouldn't burn. It was all to perfect...
The beeping continued as the image slowly faded away, and his eyes slowly fluttered open. His alarm clock... Why did he buy that again?
He grumbled as he turned it off, and turned on the little lamp beside his bed.
10.30 am... He sighed as he got up and stumbled to the bathroom. He wanted to be downstairs when Cordy arrived. He wanted to be there when she'd tell them all what a horrible evening it had been, and that she'd broken up with Richard, at least that's what he was hoping for. That was what he had been hoping from the start.
'And when it's over', he said, 'I'm gonna be there for her.'
*-*-*
It was already past eleven, and she still hadn't showed up, or called or...
He sighed as his unbeating heart cracked again...it wouldn't take too long anymore or it would brake completely, and fall apart into little pieces, hard to fix again...
She'd probably be with Richard, still together after an evening, and the night that had followed.
'Or', so he thought a bit later, 'she could've had a vision, and Dennis couldn't phone 'cause the lines are dead...'
A beat, then he hit the sewers...
*-*-*
Gilly smiled as she went to sit down at the kitchen-table with Gunn and Fred. Although the killers had hunted her down even in her dreams, she felt a whole lot better, knowing she was relatively safe here, or at least she hoped to be.
'Morning.' She said in response to Fred's broad smile and happy cheers, and Gunn's modest 'Good Morning.'
'Slept well?' Gunn asked her. Somehow he thought there was more to it then the girl had told them the other night, about a relationship that went wrong, and getting fired and all...
'Fine.' she said, as she gratefully accepted the cup of coffee Fred handed her.
A silence fell between them, and even Fred didn't know what to say anymore. She felt something was wrong...something changed about Gilly.
'Good Morning.' the silence was broken when Wesley entered.
'Morning Wes.'
'Morning English!'
Gilly just smiled shyly until Fred introduced her to the ex-watcher.
*-*-*
'Cor?!' he asked loudly as he knocked at her door, but there was no answer. No yelling from her to stop knocking, no footsteps running towards the door, no hushed voices, ... nothing...
'Cordelia, open up!' he yelled again, but his calls were only answered by the silence. Then the door flew open.
'Thanks Dennis.' Angel said, entering the apartment he found her in the bedroom, fast asleep. Angel smiled, she was safe and there was no sign of Richard. He couldn't even smell him.
'Angel?' A faint whisper escaped her throat as she saw a figure standing in her room... The image was blur, and on top of it, the lights were dimmed.
'Hey...' he said, suddenly embarrassed he'd rushed in there, actually for no reason, 'you okay?' he added, showing her his concern...
'No...'
*-*-*
'Hey, we're back!' Gunn announced as they entered the hotel.
Spike and Angel were seated on the couch, Connor on Spike's lap. They were caught up in a conversation...
'And we've brought some more company.' Gunn then continued, gesturing at Gilly who was standing shyly behind Fred.
Angel and Spike smiled at the girl.
'She's an old friend of mine... well, not old of course... She's from back home...my old home that is now right? Is it okay if she's staying over?' Fred asked
'I...' Angel stammered
'Thanks!' Fred continued, dragging Gilly towards the stairs, ready to give her the tour of the house.
'Don't ask.' Gunn said with a sigh as he went to sit down with Angel and Spike, 'We ran into her at the market... Cordelia's not at home?'
'She's on a date.' Spike said, a smile covering his face. Angel just looked down, sadness to be read on his.
'Oh.'
*-*-*
Lindsey sighed as he put the phone down and went into his bedroom, pulling a suitcase from under the bed. He wished he didn't have to do this, but they needed his help. And besides, he owed that to Richard... After all, he only saved his life, and lent him money... Now it was his turn to help out, and he swore he'd try, even if that meant going back to LA. He remembered Angel, and how he himself had swore not to return to LA again, but he just had to now... This was different, and as long as he didn't run into Angel, or Wolfram and Hart too for that matter, things would be fine.
*-*-*
It was only one o'clock when he came home. He tossed his jacked over the chair, put on some music, then allowed himself to relax and sunk into the couch. He was smiling. His simple trick had worked, and she hadn't even noticed. He'd asked her to see the ring again... 'Because the jeweller called me...there might have been a misunderstanding.' and he told her a little story about a couple who had chosen a ring, and had it engraved, but now the jeweller had sold the ring to someone else etc., etc., and he should check if it wasn't the wrong ring he'd bought...
As he got it in his hand, he had dropped it on the floor and made the change.
'Big boss can be proud.' He said as he opened a can of beer.
*-*-*
'Beep beep...beep beep...beep beep..' He heard while he was playing volleyball on the beach... He'd been there all day long, playing in the sand with Connor, rubbing Cordy's back with sunscreen so she wouldn't burn. It was all to perfect...
The beeping continued as the image slowly faded away, and his eyes slowly fluttered open. His alarm clock... Why did he buy that again?
He grumbled as he turned it off, and turned on the little lamp beside his bed.
10.30 am... He sighed as he got up and stumbled to the bathroom. He wanted to be downstairs when Cordy arrived. He wanted to be there when she'd tell them all what a horrible evening it had been, and that she'd broken up with Richard, at least that's what he was hoping for. That was what he had been hoping from the start.
'And when it's over', he said, 'I'm gonna be there for her.'
*-*-*
It was already past eleven, and she still hadn't showed up, or called or...
He sighed as his unbeating heart cracked again...it wouldn't take too long anymore or it would brake completely, and fall apart into little pieces, hard to fix again...
She'd probably be with Richard, still together after an evening, and the night that had followed.
'Or', so he thought a bit later, 'she could've had a vision, and Dennis couldn't phone 'cause the lines are dead...'
A beat, then he hit the sewers...
*-*-*
Gilly smiled as she went to sit down at the kitchen-table with Gunn and Fred. Although the killers had hunted her down even in her dreams, she felt a whole lot better, knowing she was relatively safe here, or at least she hoped to be.
'Morning.' She said in response to Fred's broad smile and happy cheers, and Gunn's modest 'Good Morning.'
'Slept well?' Gunn asked her. Somehow he thought there was more to it then the girl had told them the other night, about a relationship that went wrong, and getting fired and all...
'Fine.' she said, as she gratefully accepted the cup of coffee Fred handed her.
A silence fell between them, and even Fred didn't know what to say anymore. She felt something was wrong...something changed about Gilly.
'Good Morning.' the silence was broken when Wesley entered.
'Morning Wes.'
'Morning English!'
Gilly just smiled shyly until Fred introduced her to the ex-watcher.
*-*-*
'Cor?!' he asked loudly as he knocked at her door, but there was no answer. No yelling from her to stop knocking, no footsteps running towards the door, no hushed voices, ... nothing...
'Cordelia, open up!' he yelled again, but his calls were only answered by the silence. Then the door flew open.
'Thanks Dennis.' Angel said, entering the apartment he found her in the bedroom, fast asleep. Angel smiled, she was safe and there was no sign of Richard. He couldn't even smell him.
'Angel?' A faint whisper escaped her throat as she saw a figure standing in her room... The image was blur, and on top of it, the lights were dimmed.
'Hey...' he said, suddenly embarrassed he'd rushed in there, actually for no reason, 'you okay?' he added, showing her his concern...
'No...'
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