AUTHOR: Kelso
RATING: PG-13
SPOILERS: "Long Day's Journey" (Jan. 22 episode)
E-MAIL: kelso28@excite.com
SUMMARY: Angelus' POV during the events of "Long Day's Journey."
DISTRIBUTION: anywhere
WEBSITE: http://www.geocities.com/kelso28a/
DISCLAIMER: "Angel" characters belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, etc.
*****
Angelus here. The fun one, not the ensouled wimp. Gotta say, I'm not a happy vampire. By rights I should be out hunting and carousing, instead of being trapped inside this fucking ensouled body. I hate gypsies. Nosy, vengeful things.
Not that Angel is all good. He does help me vent sometimes since he gets involved in a fair amount of violent situations. Usually the wrong kind, of course, perpetrated against other demons instead of against humans, but that can't be helped. Plus, he's been in a bit of a black period lately, ever since he saw that little bastard Connor screwing Cordelia the slut. Angel's a peeping vampire. That amuses me. But unless I miss my guess, the pansy won't do a thing about what he observed. Me, I'd get my revenge slowly but surely. Unfortunately, I'm unable to. Though I did appreciate the backbone Angel showed when he told Cordelia to take her boyfriend and "get the hell out." That was more my style and proved he isn't a complete pushover all of the time.
On this particular day, Angel's sitting in his room sketching. I'll admit this much, he's a good artist. But why loll around drawing when you could be out mutilating and destroying, or at the very least plotting to do so? And here comes that annoying Lorne, toting a helping of blood with that "right-out-of-the-jugular taste." Let me editorialize here: No, it isn't, and no, it doesn't. For his part, Angel doesn't seem to care either way at the moment. He is so quiet, Lorne accuses him of brooding. Gee, ya think? Angel, predictably, denies the charge. My take? Speaking as someone who's here 24/7, I know brooding when I witness it during probably 75% of waking hours of late.
Making me gag again, Lorne calls Angel a "champion." Which is incredibly humiliating for me. Like it or not, Angel represents me and he does it so poorly it's ruining my reputation. Matters grow even worse as the green demon fails to retreat. Angel is upset because he couldn't save the people the Beast has killed. Though the only reason he *should* be upset is because the Beast kicked his ass and he hasn't figured out how to defeat it yet. He is quite the disappointment. Still, my ears perk up when Lorne mentions how Angel may not find "perfect happiness" with Cordelia, but "there's other fish in the sea." I hope to hell he finds one of them soon. I've been caged up for far too long and I see a lot I need to fix. If only I could have the chance.
Lorne retreats, and Angel does nothing of interest for some time. Then there is a knock on the door and I hear Cordelia's nasal voice outside. "Go away," Angel immediately orders. This reaction, I like. However, Cordelia enters against his wishes. And for the next little while, I can't help almost being, well, *proud* of Angel. He's cold toward the bitch. She tries to touch him and he grabs her hand to stop her. Then, though, he ruins it all by wimping out, just because Cordelia tells him that people need him. That his *son* needs him. Yeah, his son needs him to give him a good beating. That's about the size of it. But weakling Angel bends to Cordy's will, dammit.
Sure enough, things get even worse. Angel goes down to the lobby and gives the "forces" a pep talk. But the situation isn't beyond being salvaged, because Gwen Raiden enters. Looking *real* good. Now, *here's* a woman. Cordelia bristles, sensing a threat. Doesn't do her a bit of good. Gwen doesn't intimidate easily, and she sees Cordy for the poseur she is. I definitely like that Gwen. She tells the gang about a meeting she had during which the Beast offed her client. At this point, resident geniuses Fred and Wesley realize the Beast has killed three of the five members of the Ra-Tet totem and must be after the remaining two. Angel, naturally, decides he must protect a member who is in Death Valley, and takes Gwen with him in a transparent attempt to make Cordelia jealous. Idiot. Forget the slut and look at the very hot woman who's traveling with you. That's what I'd do. But then, Angel doesn't possess a tenth of my brains.
So, the souled wonder and Gwen drive over to Death Valley. Where it turns out the totem in question has already been ripped to shreds. Nice and bloody, just the way I love 'em. It also happens the fifth and last totem, Manny, is cowering around and informs our heroes that the Beast wants to "turn out the sun." Literally. This Beast is really sounding like my kind of demon. Helpfully, Manny elaborates that the Beast must kill all five totems and perform a ritual in order to put an end to daylight. You know me; I'd have torn out Manny's throat in the next second. But old Angel feels the overwhelming urge to protect him. Too bad.
They return home to collect Gunn and Cordelia, and Gwen leads the bunch to a hiding place where they can protect Manny. Very posh place with a panic room. I like her taste. Angel and Cordelia take the second shift of guard duty. Cordelia wants to talk; perhaps feeling a bit of my corrupting influence, Angel doesn't. They don't. A minor victory, but still a victory. They both have drinks instead. Next thing I know, Gwen is shaking Angel awake while Gunn is doing the same to Cordy. They fell asleep on guard duty and Manny has been slaughtered. What a lovely scene of blood and guts we find inside that panic room. I wish I could have been in on the carnage. Wish Angel would taste even a drop of that beautiful blood, but no such luck. Not that I expected otherwise.
Well, the twits do figure whoever was responsible drugged Angel and Cordelia's drinks, and it must have been an inside job. But who's the guilty party? Who knows? Since they failed in their mission, our dispirited group traipses back to the hotel. Fred and Wesley have been putting their heads together and they declare that the way to get rid of the Beast is to send him through a portal. Damn, just when he was beginning to grow on me. Cordelia promptly, conveniently, experiences a vision of a massacre and hears the Beast talking to someone she can't see but who seems familiar. Angel thinks it's Connor. At any rate, they all decide to hurry on over and visit the snot.
We drive up outside his place just as he sails out of his apartment window and onto the street in front of, but unfortunately not *under*, the car. In a touching moment that makes me heave, Connor informs Angel of the Beast's presence and calls him "Dad." All save Cordelia and Connor run up to confront the Beast, who has begun the ritual. He kicks their asses with ease and the sun slowly starts to become obscured. Then Wesley and Fred manage to open a portal and send the Beast through it. He's gone so easily? What a disappointment. But all is not lost. The sun disappears. Almost as thrilling, the Beast pops back up and addresses Angel, saying they don't need to be enemies. What's this? That rampaging monster wants to team up? *Say yes*, Angel! Think of the glorious havoc you could wreak together.
Sorrily, cementing his image as a dumbass, Angel fails to answer. The Beast completes the ritual, tells him they'll meet again soon, and takes off. The do-gooders troop outside into the spectacular darkness, where Cordelia announces that she saw more of the vision, it was actually a memory, and the Beast knows me. Me, Angelus. Not Angel. I am honored. Then Angel denies having ever met the Beast. Whereupon Wesley says our hideous friend must have power to control him and make him forget things. He must have a big plan in mind. Angel says he doesn't know the plan. Next come the magic words. Wesley thinks that I might know what's up, and he sees only one way to defeat the Beast. In short, he announces, "We need Angelus."
Ha! Like I want to stop the Beast. After all, he got rid of the sun and that makes him the worst kind of evil in my book. But if they want to bring me back, I'm all for it. I'd love another chance to wipe out the whole sorry lot of them. Can it really be true? Will I finally get the opportunity to set matters straight? If so, the big question is, who do I kill first?
end