*Mrs O-Town* - This has to be my fave chapter so far! It was the best to
write and the conversations Anita and I had were THE BEST! We loved toying
with this and we loved all the fighting and before I give it all away, I'd
better shut up or you won't be reading the chapter at all. Which would be
bad because you'll miss the part where… (at this point Insane1 gags Mrs O
to prevent her from giving away anything)…[Muffled] Enjoy the chapter!
*Insane1*- Lol! Sorry…I'm kinda trying to keep my evil cohort (Mrs O tries to hit me) okay…not so evil cohort from spilling the beans…. Well…this was a fun chapter…I loved writing the part where…oh crap…now I'm doing it "Thanks Mrs O" …lol…Just read it and review! Please! You've all been great so far! And I've gotta go 'cos my co-author just got loose! Aaaahhhh…. ^_^ (I'm only kidding…I love ya T!)
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There was a moment of deathly silence. Angel and Cordelia were frozen in their places. Gunn, Wesley and Lorne, who seen the whole thing from the bar, turned away to hide their laughter.
"He's screwed," They said in unison as they clinked glasses and took a long swig of their drinks.
Angel grimaced as he saw the looks of amusement on his friends' faces. 'Yep. Definitely not good.' He thought
Cordelia gulped, looking around at the faces of the other patrons. What the hell was she supposed to do?
Angel shook himself out of his trance. "Oh God! I am sooo sorry. I…I didn't mean..."
Cordy held up her hand to silence him. "Uh...you know...It's okay...I'm just gonna...go get cleaned up." She took one look at his face and for some strange reason felt compelled to stay. He looked so distraught…and she was almost certain she knew he was thinking that she'd leave and not return. Under normal circumstances that's *exactly* how it would play out. But this…This was different.
"I'll be back," She promised him, smiling to prove her point. "You still owe me dinner. And I'm thinking you've just bought me dessert as well"
He brightened, but still looked so ashamed. "I'll pay for the dry cleaning...or a new dress." He swallowed hard. A girl like her probably wore Versace and he could *not* afford Versace. However, he'd ruined her dress and he had an obligation to cover the cost.
"I'd rather have the...uh...dessert," Cordelia replied, smiling at him once more before walking towards the ladies room.
He sighed in relief. "Okay. Dessert I can do." 'Oh...did I Just sound as pathetic as I think I did?' He asked himself, considering his comment. He grimaced. 'I did. Again I ask; What is it with this girl?'
*
Cordelia entered the luxury bathroom and started to giggle. This confused her to no end, as she would have, under any other circumstance, gone insane over the new dress.
'What's with me?' She thought. 'This is an expensive dress, but I don't care? And I'm *laughing* instead?'
Something was definitely wrong with her. 'Maybe its love…' she thought, instantly dismissing the idea. She stared into the mirror defiantly. "Of course its not love." She argued with her reflection. "*Groo* loves me and I...like him a lot back."
'But you can't be sure' her mind hissed again. 'Can you?'
"Okay...you know what? I know what it is. I'm insane. That's what it is. I'm even talking to myself."
She began to pace.
"Come on Chase. Pull yourself together." She instructed. "First things first, You have to get outta this outfit and then go back to dinner as if nothing happened."
She stopped and straightened her back so she stood in full form in front of the mirror. She pointed her finger at her reflection menacingly. "Got that?" She asked. Satisfied her head and heart under stood, she smiled triumphantly. "Good."
Cordelia walked back out into the restaurant and made a b-line for the foyer. Hopefully Angel wouldn't notice her leave.
*
Angel kicked himself mentally. 'God, she hates me!' he thought, and then argued his other point. 'Well, she *did* say she'd be back.'
He kicked himself mentally again. Spilling his wine all over her! That was so stupid! To make matters worse, Gunn and the others joined him at the table.
"Go away," Angel groaned.
"Why? Your date was a disaster. I think you should just forget this and come to clubbing with us," Wesley suggested.
Angel looked at them determinedly. "No, she said she'd be back. I'm waiting here,"
"Strudel-pie…If she said she'd be back, then why is she leaving the restaurant?" Lorne asked and pointed to the figure exiting the restaurant.
The group turned to catch a glimpse of Cordelia walking out the door in a hurry.
'Oh god!' Angel thought, letting out a groan as his head hit the table. 'I blew it!'
*
Cordelia looked at herself in the mirror, the slinky black number that clung onto her curves was an excellent choice. Obviously, she had to change her shoes and lipstick shade…and of course the earrings, bracelet and necklace to match with the dress, but it was worth it.
She cleared her throat as butterflies swarmed in her stomach. "Go away!" she told them. Cordelia always got butterflies before a big date…Wait…Hold up! Date? No…not even *going* there!
Cordelia touched up the last of her makeup and glanced at the clothes strewn all over the bed. She had literally gone through all of her outfits; Angel must be waiting for her… unless he had gotten impatient and decided to leave.
She shook the thought from her mind and pondered once more on whether she should go with the other black outfit…or maybe the blue evening gown…
Cordelia nervously chewed on her nail, severely damaging the black nail varnish she had to apply for it to match her dress. She looked at the silver Gucci watch on her wrist. She had already taken 15 minutes!
She decided to just keep what she was wearing now; maybe it wouldn't be for long anyway… 'No…not like that! BAD THOUGHTS, CORDY!' She mentally scolded as she left her room to wait for the elevator.
*
Angel finally agreed to leave for a club with Gunn, Wesley and Lorne, much to Gunn's delight, but Angel still insisted that he go and tell Cordelia. Maybe squeeze in one more attempt at an apology…
What room was she in again? 108? No, that wasn't it, damn! Angel should have paid more attention to Cordelia's room number then her body. And he called himself a PI…109? Hmm… Sounded familiar… That was it!
As he left his friends in the lounge area, Angel got into the elevator and rehearsed his speech. He was completely amazed. This was something that he had never ever had to do before, and frankly, he didn't like it.
"Okay," he calmed himself down "I'm sorry for what happened at dinner, I understand…no…*realise* that you don't want to see me now. But…if you give me the chance…No that'll never work." He took another deep breath and started again. "I'm…" The doors opened before he could say anymore, and before him stood the radiant beauty that had left him twenty minutes earlier. He choked as she gave him a surprised smile.
"What are you doing up here?" She asked, smoothing down her black dress. Angel followed the motion, before realising she was waiting for an answer.
'Say something smooth' he told himself. "Waiting for you, of course." He smiled warmly. "A beautiful woman such as yourself shouldn't go unaccompanied." He added, offering his arm and stepping back further into the elevator with her.
*
Gunn stared at the elevator as the doors opened, hoping it was Angel. Instead an old couple came out. He sighed and slumped his shoulders for the 6th time. "Why does he take so long?" he asked Wesley impatiently.
"He's been gone less than five minutes Charles," Wesley reasoned.
Gunn shrugged as the set of doors of another elevator opened. He saw a glimpse of Angel. "Alright!" He called happily. "He's here, it's party time!"
Gunn jumped up, rubbing his hands together in anticipation before he saw Cordelia come out with his best friend. Wesley and Lorne's eyes widened. Gunn was shocked into silence and he stood dumbfounded. When did the plans change? Or was this a really, *really* long goodbye? Although the thought appealed to him, Gunn knew it was not a possibility.
"Wow, She must *really* like our Angel-muffin to forgive him after the red- wine incident." Lorne remarked as the couple walked towards them.
Angel smiled at his friends. "Hey Guys! Look what I found."
"Pleasure…again." Wes addressed Cordelia. Lorne smiled at her and nodded. Gunn, on the other hand, was less than impressed.
"Hey…" He began then turned his attention back to Angel, "…I thought y'all was gonna come back alone."
Angel chuckled nervously. Cordelia looked at him pointedly and unlinked her arm from his. "What did he mean? I thought you were coming to escort me back to dinner." She arched her eyebrows and crossed her arms over her chest, noticing Angel's discomfort. "Well…What did Charles mean?"
"Charles? Girl…the name's Gunn. *Guh-uhn.*" The younger man pronounced. Then he also turned on Angel. "And what did *she* mean when she said you were gonna escort her back to dinner?"
Angel felt as if he were two inches tall. Tonight was definitely not going according to plan. He shrugged defensively. "I…er…what I mean to say is…" He sighed when he realised he couldn't lie his way out of this. He turned to Cordelia. "I thought you weren't coming back when I saw you leave the restaurant…so I kinda told the guys I'd go clubbing with them instead. But I waited for you first…y'know, hoping you'd come back. But when you didn't…well, I left. But I said I had to go tell you first…just in case you might have accepted my apology or whatever. I didn't expect for you to actually join me again…But I'm more than glad you did." He turned back to Gunn. "Look…I know I said I'd come with you…but I didn't think she'd come back. And now that she has…I don't think I'm gonna join you guys tonight. I'm gonna stick with the original plan. Is that okay?"
Gunn looked a tiny bit put out. "Yeah…fine. Whatever."
Cordelia shook her head. "No…I don't want to impose…"
"Nonsense." Wesley interrupted. "Angel was looking forward to…dinner. I think it only fair he share it with a beautiful young lady in a classy restaurant than with 3 rowdy men in a pub."
Angel smiled at the Englishman. He was ultimately grateful. "I'll go out with you guys tomorrow, okay? Or maybe I'll catch up with you tonight…"
"Cupcake…Take all the time in the world." Lorne spoke up, cutting his obligatory offer short. He winked at Cordelia. "We'll understand if you don't come home tonight at all."
Angel grimaced. He friends could be sooo…annoying. "Thanks Lorne." He responded. He linked arms with Cordy once more and nodded at the group. "Guys. I'll see you 'round."
*
They stood outside her door in awkward silence. "I…uh…had a great time." She told him. He smiled back.
"You can tell the truth you know." He responded. "I'll understand. I mean…my friends are a handful…and the wine…I'm sure I've wrecked your evening."
Cordelia let out an exasperated sigh. "When are you gonna learn that I like your friends and I *didn't* care about the wine. I really had a great time."
"Honest?"
"Honest." She smiled brightly and Angel's heart did back flips. "I'll…uh…see you later."
"Yeah…" He replied. "Thank you for a wonderful night." He turned to leave and had made it less than a meter down the hall before she called him.
"Angel?" Cordy found herself asking after him. She couldn't resist this.
"Yeah?" Angel turned back. She stepped forward and pressed her lips gently to his.
"You're welcome." She whispered.
And then she was gone.
Cordelia had retreated into her room and shut the door the second she'd pulled away from the small kiss. Angel was left standing slightly stunned in the hall. His heart was not only doing back flips any more. Now it was running through an entire Gymnastics routine. And he still could not work out *why*.
*~*~*~*The Beach*~*~*~*
Tropical sun, golden sand, crystal clear water…Cordelia sighed. This was paradise. The part of her that was still five years old secretly imagined she was alone with her thoughts on a desert island…just relaxing.
She smiled at her childish thoughts and placed her towel down on the sand, preparing to lie down and enjoy a peaceful tanning session…maybe even take a short nap. She lay on her back and closed her eyes. Sighing in contentment, Cordelia soaked in the warmth of the sun's rays.
In a matter of minutes she was rudely engulfed in the shadow of a figure standing above her. She furrowed her brow, but did not open her eyes. "Excuse me…" She huffed. "Do you mind? You're in my sun." The figure didn't budge and she was starting to get cranky. Pulling her sunglasses on, she sat up and glared at the unwelcome visitor, getting ready to give them a piece of her mind. She stopped herself short the second she recognised them. "Angel?"
"Cordelia…" He responded suavely. "Nice to see you too."
She smiled. "Uh huh. You're still in my sun." 'And WOW!' She internally screamed, looking him over. 'Wish you'd walk around in just a pair of shorts more often.' She kept her external resolve calm and collected. "Join me?" She asked, gesturing to the sand beside her.
'Don't mind if I do.' He thought, drinking the sight of her. 'Nice scrap of material…er…bikini you got there.' Smiling brightly, he set his towel out beside hers. "Thanks." Angel said and sat down beside the enchantress.
Cordelia watched the grace of his movements as he sat. The way his muscles rippled just so…"Oh…You're going all red." She pointed out, forcing her mind to think of other things.
"Oh…er…Sunburn?" Angel managed, hoping she wouldn't catch his slight flush. He'd been lost in thought…and was slightly sheepish at being jolted out of it…like a kid with his hand caught in the cookie jar. Needless to say, the thoughts weren't exactly something he'd want her knowing about…not yet anyhow…maybe he might have to *show* her sometime… A goofy smile crept towards the surface of his cool resolve and he forced it down.
She hadn't caught his awkwardness. "Yeah…" She replied, gesturing upwards. "Sun."
He heaved a sigh of relief. "Yeah…I wasn't able to apply any lotion to my back…and Gunn is a little hesitant about rubbing another man's back." He chuckled, and then paused. "Not that I even asked him to…"
Cordelia raised her hand and stifled a laugh. "No judgement." He looked horrified.
"No! I'm not…I mean…That's not what I…I like women!"
It was at that moment she lost it. She burst into a fit of giggles. He wasn't impressed. She looked at his less-than-amused face and laughed even harder. Angel looked into her eyes and broke into a smile. Pretty soon he was chuckling along with her. After their laughing subsided, Cordelia fought to steady herself. Angel, on the other hand, seemed to sober up almost immediately…although he seemed to be fighting the urge to break back into it again.
"So…umm…did you want me to…umm…make your back burn-proof?" Cordelia asked him. It took her a while to get the sentence out, as the other versions had sounded…dirtier. Sarcastic comments like 'Yeah, Cor…Ask him if you should lather his back up' had bounced around inside her head, along with images that she was *certain* couldn't be good. The safest choice had proven to be the one with the worst grammatical sense…but at least it had been clean.
"Yeah…that'd be great." He replied, turning so that his back was directly in front of her. "Just one problem with that…I left my sunscreen back in my room."
"No problem…I'll use mine." She said, popping open the cap on her bottle of lotion. Suddenly images that couldn't be good ran through her head. Cordelia decided to maintain conversation with him in the hopes that these thoughts would dissolve. "Plus…" She began, squeezing the thick substance onto his broad shoulders, "Once I'm done I want you to do me."
It took her a few seconds to realise her slip. "No…I didn't mean…not *do* me…as in...I meant…sunscreen…not…oh God…" She rambled.
Angel grinned and turned his head her way. "I was planning to."
She blushed. '*That* was a good move Cordy…' She internally chided. 'You try to avoid those thoughts and *boom!* you go and *state* them…Bravo!' Swallowing, Cordelia placed the bottle back down next to her and started rubbing the lotion into Angel's muscled upper body. Soon enough, she'd picked up a rhythmic pattern and started to feel a little less uncomfortable. Gazing at him as she worked, Cordelia noted that Angel was actually quite pale. 'He mustn't get many sunlight stakeouts…' She thought. 'Poor guy…must be cooped up indoors a lot in his line of work.'
"What are you thinking?" Angel's voice jolted her out of her much cleaner thoughts. He tried to turn to face her again. She'd been really quiet since that 'doing her' comment…and he was trying to gauge whether it was a good thing or a not-so-good thing.
She smiled, even though he couldn't see. "I was just thinkin' how pasty you are."
"Oh." Well…he hadn't exactly expected *that*. "I see…Hey…Do you think that's why Lorne keeps calling me different kinds of pastries?"
She chuckled. "Honestly…I don't know…I doubt it…But it *might* have some relevance."
He shrugged and leant into her massage…er…sunscreen appliance. He let out a small moan of pleasure as her hands swept deftly down his back. Now he was having an even harder time controlling his bad, bad thoughts…among other things. He swallowed and bit his lip when she pulled her hands away. "Hey…" He protested, not even realising that he was voicing his objection until it was too late. "Don't stop…"
She smirked. "Why not?"
"You…uh…You give a good massage." Not a complete lie…
"Well…I've had lots of practise." She purred in response. She'd heard him moan before…She wanted to see how far she could play this before he went insane. She knew the effect she had on most men…and as far as she could tell…this one was no different.
Angel stammered. "Uh-huh." No girl had *ever* made him want to beg for her touch. But then, no girl had ever fought against his…manly charms like this one either. Cordelia Chase was sooo intriguing and managed to successfully frazzle every single one of his senses. As much as he scolded himself for weakening around her…he couldn't help it. This woman was so completely different to every other that he'd ever met. She was a predator by nature, but a harmless lamb in personality. She was beautiful and intelligent. She was stylish and very, very sexy. Everything about her screamed…what had he called her last night? Exquisite. But no words could ever do her justice. She'd even made him turn poetic in thought…when she wasn't making him go crazy to have *all* of her.
He swallowed again and turned to face her properly. "Aren't you gonna…you know…continue?" He asked, putting his well practised 'puppy dog eyes' into deployment.
She looked into those eyes and, in that moment, would have agreed to do anything for him…until she realised he was playing the same game she used to. It was all an act to get the object of attraction into his pants…I mean…to do his bidding…er… 'Face it Cordy, Nothing you think about him at the moment is gonna sound very…good.'
She shook her head. "No…Your back is done." She smiled at him, her eyes sparkling mischievously. "And I don't feel like giving any strange men massages right now."
He pouted at her and looked down at his watch. She closed her eyes, the smile still plastered on her face and lay back down. Barely five seconds later she felt him tapping her on the shoulder. She sat back up and looked at him. He grinned at her. "Now?"
"Ugh!" She dropped her head in her hands playfully. "You're just like my 3 year old cousin, y'know that?"
"Does that mean you will?"
Rolling her eyes at him, she placed her hands on his shoulders. Rubbing his back deliberately seductively, she waited for his reaction. "Mmm…" He sighed.
Cordy grinned evilly. "You like that?" She asked softly.
"Yeah…right there…"
Now she went in for the kill. "I see…" She moved her hands back down towards the base of his spine and he straightened his back, tensing up. 'Bingo…' She thought, moving her hands away as quickly as possible. 'And *that's* for thinking you could flirt me into whatever you want.' She smirked, once again the champion.
Angel's eyes flew open the instant he felt her touch disappear. "Uh…Cordelia?" He asked. No reply. He turned around but she was no longer there. "Great…" He muttered to himself, glancing in every direction possible for the devil-in-disguise. 'Well…at least you didn't get too carried away in your thoughts.' He commended himself as he stood up. Glancing downwards he thought, 'On second thoughts…Damn it!'
Reddening, Angel dove towards his towel and quickly wrapped it around his waist. "Damn her!" He cursed. "She did that on purpose!" No woman had put him into a position like this for a long time. *He* was supposed to leave *them* needing more. Not the other way around. This was just…humiliating.
As he turned to leave, a familiar voice stopped him. "What did I do on purpose?" She asked innocently.
"Oh…you *know* perfectly well-"
"No…I don't." She replied, watching him squirm. "Why don't you refresh my memory?"
"You…with the back-rubbing…and you stopped and I…Lets just say you didn't leave me satisfied."
Her eyes widened. "Oh…" A huge smug smile spread across her features. "I see." For the strangest reason her eyes seemed to be itching to wander down his body and settle just below his waistline…
"Yo! Angel!" Gunn called from across the beach, causing Cordelia to look over at him.
She heaved a sigh of relief as he ran over. 'Saved by the bell…yet again.'
The black man smiled at the couple, determined to make sure his best friend had fun and forgot about spending so much time with this actress chick. She seemed nice enough…but there was something…He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but Gunn had spent enough time as a PI to know that he should always follow his first instinct. And this one told him not to trust Angel's newest acquaintance. "Did you guys wanna join us in a friendly game of beach volleyball?" He asked.
Angel glared at his friend in frustration. "Umm…not right now, okay? Maybe later."
"Actually…" Cordy broke in still grinning stupidly like a teenage girl during a juicy gossip session, "I'd love to."
Angel's glare shifted to Cordelia as Gunn stared at her in disbelief. "Really?" Both men found themselves asking.
She nodded and linked her arm with Gunn, much to his surprise and Angel's obvious resentment. "Yeah…You don't mind do you?"
Angel looked at her and sighed. "I was kinda hopin' that you'd-"
She cut him off. "Not you. Gunn."
"Oh…"
Gunn didn't know what to say, so he answered the only way he knew how. "Mind?" He laughed, "Never…A pretty girl like you? Hah!"
She laughed and walked with him to the volleyball court. Angel, however, was left standing in the one spot, growling at his friend and muttering obscenities under his breath as he decided to go for a nice cold swim to…er…unwind.
*
Angel followed them to the courts, where it seemed Wes and Lorne had made a few friends. One especially was Fred (Winifred), whom Wesley and Lorne were fighting to get on their own team. It was three a side.
When Angel finally rejoined them, he was going to make sure Cordy was on his team, which Gunn didn't seem to care about. Maybe he had been wrong about this girl. Gunn was in the middle of a conversation with Cordelia. Angel tried not to growl and interrupted, suavely.
"I decided to join after all…any room for me?" Cordelia turned away from Gunn and grinned.
"Of course," she replied, taking his arm. As much as he loved that smile, he *hadn't* forgotten about the stint she'd pulled on the beach. "Great!". He'd have to get her back!
It was Gunn, Angel and Cordelia against Lorne, Fred and Wesley.
Angel was surprised to see how well Cordelia played volleyball. She could spike a ball far and her digs were high. Wesley's team didn't stand a chance. Angel wasn't too bad, he preferred hockey and basketball; but he wasn't complaining. Now all he had to do was get her back…
Angel was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice the volleyball heading straight for him or the shouts from Cordelia and Gunn. The ball hit him making him fall to the ground on his butt.
"Ow!" he said rubbing his head. Cordelia came up to him, laughing herself silly.
"Serves you right. Do you expect Gunn and I to do *all* the work here?" she asked, picking up the ball and getting back to the game.
All of a sudden, Cordelia yelped in pain. She glared at Angel who was grinning like a schoolboy after he pinged her bikini top.
"What are you? 12?" she asked angrily. Angel shrugged and walked past her, taking the ball of her. He served it high and Lorne set it back, as Angel went for the ball, Cordelia, still angry at him for pinging her top, jutted out her foot, tripping him up. Angel looked at her from the ground.
"Hey, we're on the *same* team!" he reminded her. She bent over to pick up the ball.
"Oops," she said, her face inches away from his, "I forgot," Angel growled quietly, vowing to get her back. No one got the last laugh except him.
He tackled her and they both fell to a heap on the ground, much to the delight of several spectators. Gunn, however, was quickly becoming irritated with them sabotaging the game.
"Guys!" he exclaimed, "Game?" he said. They stopped what they were doing and looked at each other.
"Game? Oh…right…we're supposed to be playing.'" Angel stated…more so for his own personal reminder than anything else.
They disentangled themselves and brushed themselves down. As they went back to the court, something caught Cordelia's eye. Not wanting to pass up the opportunity, she took the bucket from the little boy nearby, managing an apology, and filled it with water, chasing after Angel.
"You wouldn't dare," he said when he saw it.
She cocked up an eyebrow. "What? You think I'm just a pretty face?"
Wesley, Lorne and Fred stopped their game and watched with excitement.
"I don't know what to think of a woman that takes a bucket from a little kid and uses it as a weapon against a defenceless-" Angel thought for a second, "Okay...maybe not defenceless..." he couldn't finish his sentence as he was covered head to toe with almost ice cold water.
"Spasm," Cordelia giggled.
'A spasm that would have helped right after your massage' he added mentally, charging after her again. She ran as fast as she could, tripping and hurting her ankle.
Angel, who hadn't realised what had happened, had filled up the bucket again, and was standing over her.
Cordelia's eyes widened in horror. "Angel…don't," she warned. Angel teasingly pretended to drop the bucket, but caught it before it fell. She shook her head. He paused in mid-air, noticing something was wrong.
"Please Angel," she begged. He saw that she was gripping her ankle and she wasn't laughing anymore.
"Cordy, are you okay?" he tossed the bucket aside and soaked the kid they had stolen it from in the first place. He crouched down beside her.
"Well… no. My ankle… it hurts," he gingerly pried her fingers from her injury. Examining the swelling gently he noted, "I think it's just a sprain. Should be fine in a day or so."
"I didn't know you were a doctor," Cordelia joked.
"Basic first aid training," he told her seriously.
"Right," she replied, still writhing from the immense pain. Angel scooped her up in his arms and carried her to a nearby sun bed. He carefully inspected her ankle. By now the others had walked over to see what was happening and if she was okay.
"Cordelia, honey, are you okay?" Lorne asked crowding around her. Angel thought it as his duty to shoo them all away
'My Cordelia,' he inwardly growled as he looked at the ankle again, "Wes…can you get an ice pack?" He then asked his friend who was also standing nearby.
"Uh, sure…Fred? Would you care to join me?" Wesley asked Fred, Lorne gave him an evil eye.
"Or Fred, babe, you can come and help *me* track down a few aspirins," Lorne slipped his hand around Fred's shoulders.
"No! An ice pack. She needs an ice pack," Wesley argued.
"Aspirin will help with the *pain*" Lorne glared in response. "She *needs* an aspirin."
"What she *needs*" Cordelia pointed out, fighting her groan of pain. "Is to not be fussed over." Wesley and Lorne stood in silence, both mentally cursing each other. She turned her gaze back to Angel. "I'm fine, really" she told him.
He looked back at her, his own gaze full of concern. "No you're not." He insisted. "I'm taking you to your room," If she didn't want to be fussed over, the least he could do was take her to her room. The injury looked too painful to walk on.
"I am...and no…I can take myself," She argued, pushing away the little voice in her head that wanted to be picked up in his big strong arms and-
"CORDY!" Angel repeated her name, interrupting her from her, as we've established, bad thoughts. She glared back up at him, determined to prove she was neither weal or in pain. After all, her room was only three floors up, by elevator.
She got up, "See, look, I'm fine," she said as she took three steps before falling - directly into Angel's arms. "Ow, ok, maybe I *do* need some help," she admitted hopping. Angel took her in his arms again.
He smiled victoriously. "Told you so," he said as they left the beach, Cordelia rolled her eyes. "Just take me to my room. I can get whatever I need from there,"
The others watched as the two trailed off to Cordelia's room before moving at all. Pretty soon the conversation was about what had happened.
Gunn was still holding the ball, "Who's up for some two on two action?" he asked. Maybe if those two were gone they could actually play a proper game.
However, Wesley, Fred and Lorne had moved away from the court to the bar, not interested anymore. Gunn was left sulking angrily over the abandoned game. And he knew exactly who to blame…
*
Angel had taken Cordelia up to her room and tucked her in, helped her wash the sand off her feet and agreed to pick up her things that were still at the beach. He had also decided to surprise her with a drink or some flowers. He felt a little guilty over her accident. He was determined to make her feel as comfortable as possible.
On his way back through the lobby, Gunn met up with him. "Yo, Angel man. We need to talk," he said seriously.
"Can't it wait?" Angel asked him in response. "I wanted to get Cordelia a few things..."
"That's kinda it Angel," Gunn replied his frustration evident. Angel stopped and looked at him.
"Gunn…do you have a problem with Cordy?" he asked.
"Oh, so you have *pet names* now?" Gunn scoffed. Angel glared at him.
"What the hell is your problem?" Angel said, slipping into defence mode.
"*My* problem?" Gunn repeated in disbelief. "Dude…You're the one with the problem."
"I do *not* have a problem" Angel hissed, yearning to get out of this conversation ASAP.
"Yes, you do. She goes by the name of Cordelia Chase," Angel glared at him, but he continued. "What's up with you?" He asked. "I've never seen you like this over a girl before."
"That's because you don't know me as well as you think you do! You don't know me at all!" The second Angel had yelled it; he'd regretted it. "Gunn...I-"
"You're right," Gunn said, his face set in stone "I don't know you...not any more. I never knew you could get this hyped up about a girl you only met…a *day* ago,"
Angel forgot about the regret of what had come out of his mouth earlier. "You never knew me. Not when I was in love!" he said.
"I've seen this once before, Angel. Remember?" Gunn angrily reminded him of his time with Buffy. "You may love her…but does *she* love you?" Angel looked at him for a moment, "Are you sure she doesn't think of you as some holiday romance to tell all her airhead friends about when she gets home?"
"Look...I don't need this right now. Not from you," he informed his so- called best friend, attempting to leave.
"Angel, I'm telling you man, you're in too deep. You're the one gonna get hurt!" Gunn warned. He hated to see his friend get in way over his head. He had seen it all before with Buffy. He didn't want to see it again.
Something inside Angel snapped. "No…you know what? If you don't back off *you're* the one that's gonna get hurt!"
"Is that a threat?" Gunn asked, a little shocked at Angel's dangerous shift in mood.
"Make it what you will," Angel growled, his voice low and dangerous. "Just stay away from me right now."
"Fine, you know what. If you're going to continue blowing your friends off for Cordelia, then I'm swapping places with Wes or Lorne. I'm not sharing a room with you." He looked Angel up and down. "Especially now you're *threatening* me."
"Fine! Whatever! Some best friend you turn out to be!" Oh...crap. Didn't mean to say that. As Gunn turned to leave, Angel pulled him back, not wanting to leave this on a note like that. "Gunn..." He stated cautiously. "I...I didn't mean-"
"I don't care what you meant! See you around!" Gunn yelled, before turning back, "Or *not*… if I can help it."
Angel watched as his best friend walked off. He had screwed it up and for what? For a girl? And where *had* that love comment come from?
He was confused, frustrated and quite depressed. 'Yep. This is turning out great' he thought as he went to the beach, picked up Cordelia's things and left for her room.
*
Cordelia noted the look of frustration on Angel's face as he entered the room. "Hey, there you are. I was beginning to get- what's wrong?" she asked.
He looked back into her eyes and his heart did a backflip. 'What is wrong with me?' Shaking his head he replied, "Oh...nothing. Gunn just is being...Gunn." Angel finished, sitting down next to her.
"How so? Is everything alright? Cos you look like you've had a blazing row," she pointed out.
"Well...not in those words exactly..." He didn't want to tell her the truth. "We're just agreeing to disagree at the moment,"
"Right. What are you agreeing to disagree about?" Cordelia asked, trying not to be too nosy.
"Umm...you know...stuff." He shrugged. He didn't like lying to her, but really couldn't bear to tell her the truth. "Non-important stuff,"
"Oh right. Don't you think you should go and, um, apologise?" she said.
That did it. "Apologise?" He asked, accidentally raising his voice. "Why the hell should I *apologise*? I'm the one in the right! He had no right to..." He trailed off and looked away. "I think he should apologise to me. That's all,"
Cordelia raised her hands in defence. "Ok, calm down. I'm sorry. I've been there before so I know how hard it is. All I'm saying, is that he's your best friend," she reminded him "He's only looking out for you,"
Angel slumped his shoulders in defeat and looked her in the eye. "I know...But if you only knew...He's just never been like this before, y'know?"
"Whatever it is, it must be important," Cordelia said. Angel thought for a moment. "Look," she continued, "How about *I* talk to Gunn?" Cordelia offered.
Angel shook his head. "Uh…I don't think that would be a good idea," he replied.
Cordelia looked puzzled. "Why not? He'll talk to me…I'm sure. And, hey, maybe he's calmed down a bit now."
Angel looked away. "Maybe…" he muttered. Cordelia sensed that he wasn't going to let her go, so she made up another excuse.
"Ok, can I get a soda?"
"I'll get it for you." Angel offered, Cordelia shook her head, "You can't walk!" he told her.
"Then I'll *limp*" Cordelia said, getting out of bed, "Plus, it'd be good exercise. It's not as bad as it was," Cordelia insisted. Angel somehow knew that Cordelia was a woman who always got her own way and knew that arguing with her would do no good. "I'll get you a coke or something. A thank you for a lovely dinner last night," she said. Angel sighed.
"Fine, you can *try*, but if you're not back in five minutes, I'm coming after you," he said helping her up. She stumbled a little but, once regaining her balance, she managed to limp over to the door.
"By the end of the day, this whole thing will have blown over," Cordelia promised smiling at Angel and leaving.
He had a sinking suspicion she *wasn't* going for soda…and he didn't like it.
*
Cordelia knocked on the door or Angel and Gunn's room. She leaned against the wall to relieve her feet of the strain. The door opened and she straightened up, beaming.
"Hey," she greeted.
"Oh, it's you," Gunn said in an unfriendly tone, standing in front of the doorway
Cordelia gulped. 'Oh boy. This is one tough cookie' she thought. "Can I come in?" She asked. Gunn let up and allowed her to come inside. She was stunned to see Gunn in the process of packing his things. There was obviously more to this than what Angel had told her. This was serious.
"Going somewhere?" she asked. Gunn didn't reply but continued packing. "Gunn?" she prodded.
"It's all your fault," Gunn finally snapped, taking Cordelia by surprise.
"What is?" She asked, puzzled and wondering what she had done. Gunn didn't look up at her.
"The fact I'm losing my best friend!"
Her eyes widened. "Huh?" She dropped down into a chair at the same time. She didn't want to but her ankle was giving way, and she had the feeling she was gonna be here for a while. At least until this whole thing was sorted out.
"I assume he told you about our fight, right?" he asked.
"Right,"
"Well...did he tell you it was about you?"
"What? No! What...why were you fighting about *me* for?" she asked, mentally replaying all the events that had happened in the last hour or so.
"Oh come on Girl! You're a player and he's fallin' for you! Any fool can see that!" he said, walking up to her to get a few of his things from the table beside her. "He, on the other hand, can't."
Cordelia was speechless. A player? Where the hell did he get that idea?
Gunn wasn't finished with her yet. "So don't play dumb Barbie, 'cos I know what you're up to."
"I...er...I" Cordelia looked at him, "What am I up to?" she asked, anxious to know what he thought she was doing.
"You're toying with a man's emotions! This dude's had it rough and you're up in here all 'Look at me I can have any man I want but I'd rather spend the entire time with you?' Please...Spare us all the trouble and-" Gunn's ranting was stopped by the presence of a furious Angel.
"Stop it!" The older man ordered. Gunn stopped, getting back to packing, "How dare you!" Angel continued to yell. Gunn seemed undeterred by Angel's comment.
"Yo! I'm just tellin' the truth man," Gunn replied. "It hurts sometimes,"
Cordelia looked between the two, close to tears, "Look, uh, Angel, I'm gonna go," she said, darting out of the room. (As fast as her limping would allow her at any rate.)
Angel wasn't sure what to do. Beat the crap out of Gunn or chase after Cordy. It was a really tough decision. "Cordy I-" he called out of the door, but she was already out of sight.
"That proves my point. You're more interested in her welfare than your best friend," Gunn said.
"I thought you said we weren't friends any more,"
"Touché," Gunn muttered, sarcasm dripping from the word.
"Gunn...if you haven't noticed I'm seriously interested in this one. And if you can't accept that-"
"Angel! I know you're into her, but is she into you?" Gunn asked, stopping his packing and glaring back at his (once) friend.
"I..." Angel couldn't reply. Dammit! Gunn had a point! "I haven't had a chance to find out 'cos someone keeps ruining the moment!"
Lorne, running into the room, interrupted their argument. Out of breath, he looked at the two, realising something was wrong, "What happened here?" he asked.
"Nothing. I was just leaving," Angel tossed back as he left. "Lorne, have you seen Cordy?" Angel asked.
Lorne nodded. "I was rushing back here to see whether you had." Angel looked puzzled. Lorne sighed. "She pushed past me on her way down the hall…had tears streaming down her face and everything. I thought you might know what was up." He seemed to gaze off. "Poor thing. Seemed so…vulnerable…"
Angel gave Gunn one last death stare and raced out the room. Lorne looked at the other man. "Okay…Will someone *please* tell me what the hell is going on?!"
Gunn shrugged and went back to his bag. He wasn't in the mood for talking right now.
**************************
A/N- *Insane1*- Okay…do you know how hard it was to write the beach scene and keep it clean? Honestly…my 17-year-old (in less than a week! Go the Geminis! ^_^) hormones are working in hyper-drive lately and Mrs O suggests we send them to the beach. THE BEACH? With a half naked Angel (…yummm…No! Bad thoughts!) and a scantily clad Cordy…with lotion and rubbing and…? *Clears throat* We don't need to go there. Or rather…*I* don't need to go there. ^_^ If you can't tell from a majority of the scene, I had lots of trouble with maintaining the PG-13 rating there…lol…^_^ I think it kinda drove Mrs O crazy…hah! Now we can both be insane…lol…Oh yeah…please review! Chapter 5 is already underway and we need to know what you're thinking so far! Thanks
*Insane1*- Lol! Sorry…I'm kinda trying to keep my evil cohort (Mrs O tries to hit me) okay…not so evil cohort from spilling the beans…. Well…this was a fun chapter…I loved writing the part where…oh crap…now I'm doing it "Thanks Mrs O" …lol…Just read it and review! Please! You've all been great so far! And I've gotta go 'cos my co-author just got loose! Aaaahhhh…. ^_^ (I'm only kidding…I love ya T!)
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There was a moment of deathly silence. Angel and Cordelia were frozen in their places. Gunn, Wesley and Lorne, who seen the whole thing from the bar, turned away to hide their laughter.
"He's screwed," They said in unison as they clinked glasses and took a long swig of their drinks.
Angel grimaced as he saw the looks of amusement on his friends' faces. 'Yep. Definitely not good.' He thought
Cordelia gulped, looking around at the faces of the other patrons. What the hell was she supposed to do?
Angel shook himself out of his trance. "Oh God! I am sooo sorry. I…I didn't mean..."
Cordy held up her hand to silence him. "Uh...you know...It's okay...I'm just gonna...go get cleaned up." She took one look at his face and for some strange reason felt compelled to stay. He looked so distraught…and she was almost certain she knew he was thinking that she'd leave and not return. Under normal circumstances that's *exactly* how it would play out. But this…This was different.
"I'll be back," She promised him, smiling to prove her point. "You still owe me dinner. And I'm thinking you've just bought me dessert as well"
He brightened, but still looked so ashamed. "I'll pay for the dry cleaning...or a new dress." He swallowed hard. A girl like her probably wore Versace and he could *not* afford Versace. However, he'd ruined her dress and he had an obligation to cover the cost.
"I'd rather have the...uh...dessert," Cordelia replied, smiling at him once more before walking towards the ladies room.
He sighed in relief. "Okay. Dessert I can do." 'Oh...did I Just sound as pathetic as I think I did?' He asked himself, considering his comment. He grimaced. 'I did. Again I ask; What is it with this girl?'
*
Cordelia entered the luxury bathroom and started to giggle. This confused her to no end, as she would have, under any other circumstance, gone insane over the new dress.
'What's with me?' She thought. 'This is an expensive dress, but I don't care? And I'm *laughing* instead?'
Something was definitely wrong with her. 'Maybe its love…' she thought, instantly dismissing the idea. She stared into the mirror defiantly. "Of course its not love." She argued with her reflection. "*Groo* loves me and I...like him a lot back."
'But you can't be sure' her mind hissed again. 'Can you?'
"Okay...you know what? I know what it is. I'm insane. That's what it is. I'm even talking to myself."
She began to pace.
"Come on Chase. Pull yourself together." She instructed. "First things first, You have to get outta this outfit and then go back to dinner as if nothing happened."
She stopped and straightened her back so she stood in full form in front of the mirror. She pointed her finger at her reflection menacingly. "Got that?" She asked. Satisfied her head and heart under stood, she smiled triumphantly. "Good."
Cordelia walked back out into the restaurant and made a b-line for the foyer. Hopefully Angel wouldn't notice her leave.
*
Angel kicked himself mentally. 'God, she hates me!' he thought, and then argued his other point. 'Well, she *did* say she'd be back.'
He kicked himself mentally again. Spilling his wine all over her! That was so stupid! To make matters worse, Gunn and the others joined him at the table.
"Go away," Angel groaned.
"Why? Your date was a disaster. I think you should just forget this and come to clubbing with us," Wesley suggested.
Angel looked at them determinedly. "No, she said she'd be back. I'm waiting here,"
"Strudel-pie…If she said she'd be back, then why is she leaving the restaurant?" Lorne asked and pointed to the figure exiting the restaurant.
The group turned to catch a glimpse of Cordelia walking out the door in a hurry.
'Oh god!' Angel thought, letting out a groan as his head hit the table. 'I blew it!'
*
Cordelia looked at herself in the mirror, the slinky black number that clung onto her curves was an excellent choice. Obviously, she had to change her shoes and lipstick shade…and of course the earrings, bracelet and necklace to match with the dress, but it was worth it.
She cleared her throat as butterflies swarmed in her stomach. "Go away!" she told them. Cordelia always got butterflies before a big date…Wait…Hold up! Date? No…not even *going* there!
Cordelia touched up the last of her makeup and glanced at the clothes strewn all over the bed. She had literally gone through all of her outfits; Angel must be waiting for her… unless he had gotten impatient and decided to leave.
She shook the thought from her mind and pondered once more on whether she should go with the other black outfit…or maybe the blue evening gown…
Cordelia nervously chewed on her nail, severely damaging the black nail varnish she had to apply for it to match her dress. She looked at the silver Gucci watch on her wrist. She had already taken 15 minutes!
She decided to just keep what she was wearing now; maybe it wouldn't be for long anyway… 'No…not like that! BAD THOUGHTS, CORDY!' She mentally scolded as she left her room to wait for the elevator.
*
Angel finally agreed to leave for a club with Gunn, Wesley and Lorne, much to Gunn's delight, but Angel still insisted that he go and tell Cordelia. Maybe squeeze in one more attempt at an apology…
What room was she in again? 108? No, that wasn't it, damn! Angel should have paid more attention to Cordelia's room number then her body. And he called himself a PI…109? Hmm… Sounded familiar… That was it!
As he left his friends in the lounge area, Angel got into the elevator and rehearsed his speech. He was completely amazed. This was something that he had never ever had to do before, and frankly, he didn't like it.
"Okay," he calmed himself down "I'm sorry for what happened at dinner, I understand…no…*realise* that you don't want to see me now. But…if you give me the chance…No that'll never work." He took another deep breath and started again. "I'm…" The doors opened before he could say anymore, and before him stood the radiant beauty that had left him twenty minutes earlier. He choked as she gave him a surprised smile.
"What are you doing up here?" She asked, smoothing down her black dress. Angel followed the motion, before realising she was waiting for an answer.
'Say something smooth' he told himself. "Waiting for you, of course." He smiled warmly. "A beautiful woman such as yourself shouldn't go unaccompanied." He added, offering his arm and stepping back further into the elevator with her.
*
Gunn stared at the elevator as the doors opened, hoping it was Angel. Instead an old couple came out. He sighed and slumped his shoulders for the 6th time. "Why does he take so long?" he asked Wesley impatiently.
"He's been gone less than five minutes Charles," Wesley reasoned.
Gunn shrugged as the set of doors of another elevator opened. He saw a glimpse of Angel. "Alright!" He called happily. "He's here, it's party time!"
Gunn jumped up, rubbing his hands together in anticipation before he saw Cordelia come out with his best friend. Wesley and Lorne's eyes widened. Gunn was shocked into silence and he stood dumbfounded. When did the plans change? Or was this a really, *really* long goodbye? Although the thought appealed to him, Gunn knew it was not a possibility.
"Wow, She must *really* like our Angel-muffin to forgive him after the red- wine incident." Lorne remarked as the couple walked towards them.
Angel smiled at his friends. "Hey Guys! Look what I found."
"Pleasure…again." Wes addressed Cordelia. Lorne smiled at her and nodded. Gunn, on the other hand, was less than impressed.
"Hey…" He began then turned his attention back to Angel, "…I thought y'all was gonna come back alone."
Angel chuckled nervously. Cordelia looked at him pointedly and unlinked her arm from his. "What did he mean? I thought you were coming to escort me back to dinner." She arched her eyebrows and crossed her arms over her chest, noticing Angel's discomfort. "Well…What did Charles mean?"
"Charles? Girl…the name's Gunn. *Guh-uhn.*" The younger man pronounced. Then he also turned on Angel. "And what did *she* mean when she said you were gonna escort her back to dinner?"
Angel felt as if he were two inches tall. Tonight was definitely not going according to plan. He shrugged defensively. "I…er…what I mean to say is…" He sighed when he realised he couldn't lie his way out of this. He turned to Cordelia. "I thought you weren't coming back when I saw you leave the restaurant…so I kinda told the guys I'd go clubbing with them instead. But I waited for you first…y'know, hoping you'd come back. But when you didn't…well, I left. But I said I had to go tell you first…just in case you might have accepted my apology or whatever. I didn't expect for you to actually join me again…But I'm more than glad you did." He turned back to Gunn. "Look…I know I said I'd come with you…but I didn't think she'd come back. And now that she has…I don't think I'm gonna join you guys tonight. I'm gonna stick with the original plan. Is that okay?"
Gunn looked a tiny bit put out. "Yeah…fine. Whatever."
Cordelia shook her head. "No…I don't want to impose…"
"Nonsense." Wesley interrupted. "Angel was looking forward to…dinner. I think it only fair he share it with a beautiful young lady in a classy restaurant than with 3 rowdy men in a pub."
Angel smiled at the Englishman. He was ultimately grateful. "I'll go out with you guys tomorrow, okay? Or maybe I'll catch up with you tonight…"
"Cupcake…Take all the time in the world." Lorne spoke up, cutting his obligatory offer short. He winked at Cordelia. "We'll understand if you don't come home tonight at all."
Angel grimaced. He friends could be sooo…annoying. "Thanks Lorne." He responded. He linked arms with Cordy once more and nodded at the group. "Guys. I'll see you 'round."
*
They stood outside her door in awkward silence. "I…uh…had a great time." She told him. He smiled back.
"You can tell the truth you know." He responded. "I'll understand. I mean…my friends are a handful…and the wine…I'm sure I've wrecked your evening."
Cordelia let out an exasperated sigh. "When are you gonna learn that I like your friends and I *didn't* care about the wine. I really had a great time."
"Honest?"
"Honest." She smiled brightly and Angel's heart did back flips. "I'll…uh…see you later."
"Yeah…" He replied. "Thank you for a wonderful night." He turned to leave and had made it less than a meter down the hall before she called him.
"Angel?" Cordy found herself asking after him. She couldn't resist this.
"Yeah?" Angel turned back. She stepped forward and pressed her lips gently to his.
"You're welcome." She whispered.
And then she was gone.
Cordelia had retreated into her room and shut the door the second she'd pulled away from the small kiss. Angel was left standing slightly stunned in the hall. His heart was not only doing back flips any more. Now it was running through an entire Gymnastics routine. And he still could not work out *why*.
*~*~*~*The Beach*~*~*~*
Tropical sun, golden sand, crystal clear water…Cordelia sighed. This was paradise. The part of her that was still five years old secretly imagined she was alone with her thoughts on a desert island…just relaxing.
She smiled at her childish thoughts and placed her towel down on the sand, preparing to lie down and enjoy a peaceful tanning session…maybe even take a short nap. She lay on her back and closed her eyes. Sighing in contentment, Cordelia soaked in the warmth of the sun's rays.
In a matter of minutes she was rudely engulfed in the shadow of a figure standing above her. She furrowed her brow, but did not open her eyes. "Excuse me…" She huffed. "Do you mind? You're in my sun." The figure didn't budge and she was starting to get cranky. Pulling her sunglasses on, she sat up and glared at the unwelcome visitor, getting ready to give them a piece of her mind. She stopped herself short the second she recognised them. "Angel?"
"Cordelia…" He responded suavely. "Nice to see you too."
She smiled. "Uh huh. You're still in my sun." 'And WOW!' She internally screamed, looking him over. 'Wish you'd walk around in just a pair of shorts more often.' She kept her external resolve calm and collected. "Join me?" She asked, gesturing to the sand beside her.
'Don't mind if I do.' He thought, drinking the sight of her. 'Nice scrap of material…er…bikini you got there.' Smiling brightly, he set his towel out beside hers. "Thanks." Angel said and sat down beside the enchantress.
Cordelia watched the grace of his movements as he sat. The way his muscles rippled just so…"Oh…You're going all red." She pointed out, forcing her mind to think of other things.
"Oh…er…Sunburn?" Angel managed, hoping she wouldn't catch his slight flush. He'd been lost in thought…and was slightly sheepish at being jolted out of it…like a kid with his hand caught in the cookie jar. Needless to say, the thoughts weren't exactly something he'd want her knowing about…not yet anyhow…maybe he might have to *show* her sometime… A goofy smile crept towards the surface of his cool resolve and he forced it down.
She hadn't caught his awkwardness. "Yeah…" She replied, gesturing upwards. "Sun."
He heaved a sigh of relief. "Yeah…I wasn't able to apply any lotion to my back…and Gunn is a little hesitant about rubbing another man's back." He chuckled, and then paused. "Not that I even asked him to…"
Cordelia raised her hand and stifled a laugh. "No judgement." He looked horrified.
"No! I'm not…I mean…That's not what I…I like women!"
It was at that moment she lost it. She burst into a fit of giggles. He wasn't impressed. She looked at his less-than-amused face and laughed even harder. Angel looked into her eyes and broke into a smile. Pretty soon he was chuckling along with her. After their laughing subsided, Cordelia fought to steady herself. Angel, on the other hand, seemed to sober up almost immediately…although he seemed to be fighting the urge to break back into it again.
"So…umm…did you want me to…umm…make your back burn-proof?" Cordelia asked him. It took her a while to get the sentence out, as the other versions had sounded…dirtier. Sarcastic comments like 'Yeah, Cor…Ask him if you should lather his back up' had bounced around inside her head, along with images that she was *certain* couldn't be good. The safest choice had proven to be the one with the worst grammatical sense…but at least it had been clean.
"Yeah…that'd be great." He replied, turning so that his back was directly in front of her. "Just one problem with that…I left my sunscreen back in my room."
"No problem…I'll use mine." She said, popping open the cap on her bottle of lotion. Suddenly images that couldn't be good ran through her head. Cordelia decided to maintain conversation with him in the hopes that these thoughts would dissolve. "Plus…" She began, squeezing the thick substance onto his broad shoulders, "Once I'm done I want you to do me."
It took her a few seconds to realise her slip. "No…I didn't mean…not *do* me…as in...I meant…sunscreen…not…oh God…" She rambled.
Angel grinned and turned his head her way. "I was planning to."
She blushed. '*That* was a good move Cordy…' She internally chided. 'You try to avoid those thoughts and *boom!* you go and *state* them…Bravo!' Swallowing, Cordelia placed the bottle back down next to her and started rubbing the lotion into Angel's muscled upper body. Soon enough, she'd picked up a rhythmic pattern and started to feel a little less uncomfortable. Gazing at him as she worked, Cordelia noted that Angel was actually quite pale. 'He mustn't get many sunlight stakeouts…' She thought. 'Poor guy…must be cooped up indoors a lot in his line of work.'
"What are you thinking?" Angel's voice jolted her out of her much cleaner thoughts. He tried to turn to face her again. She'd been really quiet since that 'doing her' comment…and he was trying to gauge whether it was a good thing or a not-so-good thing.
She smiled, even though he couldn't see. "I was just thinkin' how pasty you are."
"Oh." Well…he hadn't exactly expected *that*. "I see…Hey…Do you think that's why Lorne keeps calling me different kinds of pastries?"
She chuckled. "Honestly…I don't know…I doubt it…But it *might* have some relevance."
He shrugged and leant into her massage…er…sunscreen appliance. He let out a small moan of pleasure as her hands swept deftly down his back. Now he was having an even harder time controlling his bad, bad thoughts…among other things. He swallowed and bit his lip when she pulled her hands away. "Hey…" He protested, not even realising that he was voicing his objection until it was too late. "Don't stop…"
She smirked. "Why not?"
"You…uh…You give a good massage." Not a complete lie…
"Well…I've had lots of practise." She purred in response. She'd heard him moan before…She wanted to see how far she could play this before he went insane. She knew the effect she had on most men…and as far as she could tell…this one was no different.
Angel stammered. "Uh-huh." No girl had *ever* made him want to beg for her touch. But then, no girl had ever fought against his…manly charms like this one either. Cordelia Chase was sooo intriguing and managed to successfully frazzle every single one of his senses. As much as he scolded himself for weakening around her…he couldn't help it. This woman was so completely different to every other that he'd ever met. She was a predator by nature, but a harmless lamb in personality. She was beautiful and intelligent. She was stylish and very, very sexy. Everything about her screamed…what had he called her last night? Exquisite. But no words could ever do her justice. She'd even made him turn poetic in thought…when she wasn't making him go crazy to have *all* of her.
He swallowed again and turned to face her properly. "Aren't you gonna…you know…continue?" He asked, putting his well practised 'puppy dog eyes' into deployment.
She looked into those eyes and, in that moment, would have agreed to do anything for him…until she realised he was playing the same game she used to. It was all an act to get the object of attraction into his pants…I mean…to do his bidding…er… 'Face it Cordy, Nothing you think about him at the moment is gonna sound very…good.'
She shook her head. "No…Your back is done." She smiled at him, her eyes sparkling mischievously. "And I don't feel like giving any strange men massages right now."
He pouted at her and looked down at his watch. She closed her eyes, the smile still plastered on her face and lay back down. Barely five seconds later she felt him tapping her on the shoulder. She sat back up and looked at him. He grinned at her. "Now?"
"Ugh!" She dropped her head in her hands playfully. "You're just like my 3 year old cousin, y'know that?"
"Does that mean you will?"
Rolling her eyes at him, she placed her hands on his shoulders. Rubbing his back deliberately seductively, she waited for his reaction. "Mmm…" He sighed.
Cordy grinned evilly. "You like that?" She asked softly.
"Yeah…right there…"
Now she went in for the kill. "I see…" She moved her hands back down towards the base of his spine and he straightened his back, tensing up. 'Bingo…' She thought, moving her hands away as quickly as possible. 'And *that's* for thinking you could flirt me into whatever you want.' She smirked, once again the champion.
Angel's eyes flew open the instant he felt her touch disappear. "Uh…Cordelia?" He asked. No reply. He turned around but she was no longer there. "Great…" He muttered to himself, glancing in every direction possible for the devil-in-disguise. 'Well…at least you didn't get too carried away in your thoughts.' He commended himself as he stood up. Glancing downwards he thought, 'On second thoughts…Damn it!'
Reddening, Angel dove towards his towel and quickly wrapped it around his waist. "Damn her!" He cursed. "She did that on purpose!" No woman had put him into a position like this for a long time. *He* was supposed to leave *them* needing more. Not the other way around. This was just…humiliating.
As he turned to leave, a familiar voice stopped him. "What did I do on purpose?" She asked innocently.
"Oh…you *know* perfectly well-"
"No…I don't." She replied, watching him squirm. "Why don't you refresh my memory?"
"You…with the back-rubbing…and you stopped and I…Lets just say you didn't leave me satisfied."
Her eyes widened. "Oh…" A huge smug smile spread across her features. "I see." For the strangest reason her eyes seemed to be itching to wander down his body and settle just below his waistline…
"Yo! Angel!" Gunn called from across the beach, causing Cordelia to look over at him.
She heaved a sigh of relief as he ran over. 'Saved by the bell…yet again.'
The black man smiled at the couple, determined to make sure his best friend had fun and forgot about spending so much time with this actress chick. She seemed nice enough…but there was something…He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but Gunn had spent enough time as a PI to know that he should always follow his first instinct. And this one told him not to trust Angel's newest acquaintance. "Did you guys wanna join us in a friendly game of beach volleyball?" He asked.
Angel glared at his friend in frustration. "Umm…not right now, okay? Maybe later."
"Actually…" Cordy broke in still grinning stupidly like a teenage girl during a juicy gossip session, "I'd love to."
Angel's glare shifted to Cordelia as Gunn stared at her in disbelief. "Really?" Both men found themselves asking.
She nodded and linked her arm with Gunn, much to his surprise and Angel's obvious resentment. "Yeah…You don't mind do you?"
Angel looked at her and sighed. "I was kinda hopin' that you'd-"
She cut him off. "Not you. Gunn."
"Oh…"
Gunn didn't know what to say, so he answered the only way he knew how. "Mind?" He laughed, "Never…A pretty girl like you? Hah!"
She laughed and walked with him to the volleyball court. Angel, however, was left standing in the one spot, growling at his friend and muttering obscenities under his breath as he decided to go for a nice cold swim to…er…unwind.
*
Angel followed them to the courts, where it seemed Wes and Lorne had made a few friends. One especially was Fred (Winifred), whom Wesley and Lorne were fighting to get on their own team. It was three a side.
When Angel finally rejoined them, he was going to make sure Cordy was on his team, which Gunn didn't seem to care about. Maybe he had been wrong about this girl. Gunn was in the middle of a conversation with Cordelia. Angel tried not to growl and interrupted, suavely.
"I decided to join after all…any room for me?" Cordelia turned away from Gunn and grinned.
"Of course," she replied, taking his arm. As much as he loved that smile, he *hadn't* forgotten about the stint she'd pulled on the beach. "Great!". He'd have to get her back!
It was Gunn, Angel and Cordelia against Lorne, Fred and Wesley.
Angel was surprised to see how well Cordelia played volleyball. She could spike a ball far and her digs were high. Wesley's team didn't stand a chance. Angel wasn't too bad, he preferred hockey and basketball; but he wasn't complaining. Now all he had to do was get her back…
Angel was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice the volleyball heading straight for him or the shouts from Cordelia and Gunn. The ball hit him making him fall to the ground on his butt.
"Ow!" he said rubbing his head. Cordelia came up to him, laughing herself silly.
"Serves you right. Do you expect Gunn and I to do *all* the work here?" she asked, picking up the ball and getting back to the game.
All of a sudden, Cordelia yelped in pain. She glared at Angel who was grinning like a schoolboy after he pinged her bikini top.
"What are you? 12?" she asked angrily. Angel shrugged and walked past her, taking the ball of her. He served it high and Lorne set it back, as Angel went for the ball, Cordelia, still angry at him for pinging her top, jutted out her foot, tripping him up. Angel looked at her from the ground.
"Hey, we're on the *same* team!" he reminded her. She bent over to pick up the ball.
"Oops," she said, her face inches away from his, "I forgot," Angel growled quietly, vowing to get her back. No one got the last laugh except him.
He tackled her and they both fell to a heap on the ground, much to the delight of several spectators. Gunn, however, was quickly becoming irritated with them sabotaging the game.
"Guys!" he exclaimed, "Game?" he said. They stopped what they were doing and looked at each other.
"Game? Oh…right…we're supposed to be playing.'" Angel stated…more so for his own personal reminder than anything else.
They disentangled themselves and brushed themselves down. As they went back to the court, something caught Cordelia's eye. Not wanting to pass up the opportunity, she took the bucket from the little boy nearby, managing an apology, and filled it with water, chasing after Angel.
"You wouldn't dare," he said when he saw it.
She cocked up an eyebrow. "What? You think I'm just a pretty face?"
Wesley, Lorne and Fred stopped their game and watched with excitement.
"I don't know what to think of a woman that takes a bucket from a little kid and uses it as a weapon against a defenceless-" Angel thought for a second, "Okay...maybe not defenceless..." he couldn't finish his sentence as he was covered head to toe with almost ice cold water.
"Spasm," Cordelia giggled.
'A spasm that would have helped right after your massage' he added mentally, charging after her again. She ran as fast as she could, tripping and hurting her ankle.
Angel, who hadn't realised what had happened, had filled up the bucket again, and was standing over her.
Cordelia's eyes widened in horror. "Angel…don't," she warned. Angel teasingly pretended to drop the bucket, but caught it before it fell. She shook her head. He paused in mid-air, noticing something was wrong.
"Please Angel," she begged. He saw that she was gripping her ankle and she wasn't laughing anymore.
"Cordy, are you okay?" he tossed the bucket aside and soaked the kid they had stolen it from in the first place. He crouched down beside her.
"Well… no. My ankle… it hurts," he gingerly pried her fingers from her injury. Examining the swelling gently he noted, "I think it's just a sprain. Should be fine in a day or so."
"I didn't know you were a doctor," Cordelia joked.
"Basic first aid training," he told her seriously.
"Right," she replied, still writhing from the immense pain. Angel scooped her up in his arms and carried her to a nearby sun bed. He carefully inspected her ankle. By now the others had walked over to see what was happening and if she was okay.
"Cordelia, honey, are you okay?" Lorne asked crowding around her. Angel thought it as his duty to shoo them all away
'My Cordelia,' he inwardly growled as he looked at the ankle again, "Wes…can you get an ice pack?" He then asked his friend who was also standing nearby.
"Uh, sure…Fred? Would you care to join me?" Wesley asked Fred, Lorne gave him an evil eye.
"Or Fred, babe, you can come and help *me* track down a few aspirins," Lorne slipped his hand around Fred's shoulders.
"No! An ice pack. She needs an ice pack," Wesley argued.
"Aspirin will help with the *pain*" Lorne glared in response. "She *needs* an aspirin."
"What she *needs*" Cordelia pointed out, fighting her groan of pain. "Is to not be fussed over." Wesley and Lorne stood in silence, both mentally cursing each other. She turned her gaze back to Angel. "I'm fine, really" she told him.
He looked back at her, his own gaze full of concern. "No you're not." He insisted. "I'm taking you to your room," If she didn't want to be fussed over, the least he could do was take her to her room. The injury looked too painful to walk on.
"I am...and no…I can take myself," She argued, pushing away the little voice in her head that wanted to be picked up in his big strong arms and-
"CORDY!" Angel repeated her name, interrupting her from her, as we've established, bad thoughts. She glared back up at him, determined to prove she was neither weal or in pain. After all, her room was only three floors up, by elevator.
She got up, "See, look, I'm fine," she said as she took three steps before falling - directly into Angel's arms. "Ow, ok, maybe I *do* need some help," she admitted hopping. Angel took her in his arms again.
He smiled victoriously. "Told you so," he said as they left the beach, Cordelia rolled her eyes. "Just take me to my room. I can get whatever I need from there,"
The others watched as the two trailed off to Cordelia's room before moving at all. Pretty soon the conversation was about what had happened.
Gunn was still holding the ball, "Who's up for some two on two action?" he asked. Maybe if those two were gone they could actually play a proper game.
However, Wesley, Fred and Lorne had moved away from the court to the bar, not interested anymore. Gunn was left sulking angrily over the abandoned game. And he knew exactly who to blame…
*
Angel had taken Cordelia up to her room and tucked her in, helped her wash the sand off her feet and agreed to pick up her things that were still at the beach. He had also decided to surprise her with a drink or some flowers. He felt a little guilty over her accident. He was determined to make her feel as comfortable as possible.
On his way back through the lobby, Gunn met up with him. "Yo, Angel man. We need to talk," he said seriously.
"Can't it wait?" Angel asked him in response. "I wanted to get Cordelia a few things..."
"That's kinda it Angel," Gunn replied his frustration evident. Angel stopped and looked at him.
"Gunn…do you have a problem with Cordy?" he asked.
"Oh, so you have *pet names* now?" Gunn scoffed. Angel glared at him.
"What the hell is your problem?" Angel said, slipping into defence mode.
"*My* problem?" Gunn repeated in disbelief. "Dude…You're the one with the problem."
"I do *not* have a problem" Angel hissed, yearning to get out of this conversation ASAP.
"Yes, you do. She goes by the name of Cordelia Chase," Angel glared at him, but he continued. "What's up with you?" He asked. "I've never seen you like this over a girl before."
"That's because you don't know me as well as you think you do! You don't know me at all!" The second Angel had yelled it; he'd regretted it. "Gunn...I-"
"You're right," Gunn said, his face set in stone "I don't know you...not any more. I never knew you could get this hyped up about a girl you only met…a *day* ago,"
Angel forgot about the regret of what had come out of his mouth earlier. "You never knew me. Not when I was in love!" he said.
"I've seen this once before, Angel. Remember?" Gunn angrily reminded him of his time with Buffy. "You may love her…but does *she* love you?" Angel looked at him for a moment, "Are you sure she doesn't think of you as some holiday romance to tell all her airhead friends about when she gets home?"
"Look...I don't need this right now. Not from you," he informed his so- called best friend, attempting to leave.
"Angel, I'm telling you man, you're in too deep. You're the one gonna get hurt!" Gunn warned. He hated to see his friend get in way over his head. He had seen it all before with Buffy. He didn't want to see it again.
Something inside Angel snapped. "No…you know what? If you don't back off *you're* the one that's gonna get hurt!"
"Is that a threat?" Gunn asked, a little shocked at Angel's dangerous shift in mood.
"Make it what you will," Angel growled, his voice low and dangerous. "Just stay away from me right now."
"Fine, you know what. If you're going to continue blowing your friends off for Cordelia, then I'm swapping places with Wes or Lorne. I'm not sharing a room with you." He looked Angel up and down. "Especially now you're *threatening* me."
"Fine! Whatever! Some best friend you turn out to be!" Oh...crap. Didn't mean to say that. As Gunn turned to leave, Angel pulled him back, not wanting to leave this on a note like that. "Gunn..." He stated cautiously. "I...I didn't mean-"
"I don't care what you meant! See you around!" Gunn yelled, before turning back, "Or *not*… if I can help it."
Angel watched as his best friend walked off. He had screwed it up and for what? For a girl? And where *had* that love comment come from?
He was confused, frustrated and quite depressed. 'Yep. This is turning out great' he thought as he went to the beach, picked up Cordelia's things and left for her room.
*
Cordelia noted the look of frustration on Angel's face as he entered the room. "Hey, there you are. I was beginning to get- what's wrong?" she asked.
He looked back into her eyes and his heart did a backflip. 'What is wrong with me?' Shaking his head he replied, "Oh...nothing. Gunn just is being...Gunn." Angel finished, sitting down next to her.
"How so? Is everything alright? Cos you look like you've had a blazing row," she pointed out.
"Well...not in those words exactly..." He didn't want to tell her the truth. "We're just agreeing to disagree at the moment,"
"Right. What are you agreeing to disagree about?" Cordelia asked, trying not to be too nosy.
"Umm...you know...stuff." He shrugged. He didn't like lying to her, but really couldn't bear to tell her the truth. "Non-important stuff,"
"Oh right. Don't you think you should go and, um, apologise?" she said.
That did it. "Apologise?" He asked, accidentally raising his voice. "Why the hell should I *apologise*? I'm the one in the right! He had no right to..." He trailed off and looked away. "I think he should apologise to me. That's all,"
Cordelia raised her hands in defence. "Ok, calm down. I'm sorry. I've been there before so I know how hard it is. All I'm saying, is that he's your best friend," she reminded him "He's only looking out for you,"
Angel slumped his shoulders in defeat and looked her in the eye. "I know...But if you only knew...He's just never been like this before, y'know?"
"Whatever it is, it must be important," Cordelia said. Angel thought for a moment. "Look," she continued, "How about *I* talk to Gunn?" Cordelia offered.
Angel shook his head. "Uh…I don't think that would be a good idea," he replied.
Cordelia looked puzzled. "Why not? He'll talk to me…I'm sure. And, hey, maybe he's calmed down a bit now."
Angel looked away. "Maybe…" he muttered. Cordelia sensed that he wasn't going to let her go, so she made up another excuse.
"Ok, can I get a soda?"
"I'll get it for you." Angel offered, Cordelia shook her head, "You can't walk!" he told her.
"Then I'll *limp*" Cordelia said, getting out of bed, "Plus, it'd be good exercise. It's not as bad as it was," Cordelia insisted. Angel somehow knew that Cordelia was a woman who always got her own way and knew that arguing with her would do no good. "I'll get you a coke or something. A thank you for a lovely dinner last night," she said. Angel sighed.
"Fine, you can *try*, but if you're not back in five minutes, I'm coming after you," he said helping her up. She stumbled a little but, once regaining her balance, she managed to limp over to the door.
"By the end of the day, this whole thing will have blown over," Cordelia promised smiling at Angel and leaving.
He had a sinking suspicion she *wasn't* going for soda…and he didn't like it.
*
Cordelia knocked on the door or Angel and Gunn's room. She leaned against the wall to relieve her feet of the strain. The door opened and she straightened up, beaming.
"Hey," she greeted.
"Oh, it's you," Gunn said in an unfriendly tone, standing in front of the doorway
Cordelia gulped. 'Oh boy. This is one tough cookie' she thought. "Can I come in?" She asked. Gunn let up and allowed her to come inside. She was stunned to see Gunn in the process of packing his things. There was obviously more to this than what Angel had told her. This was serious.
"Going somewhere?" she asked. Gunn didn't reply but continued packing. "Gunn?" she prodded.
"It's all your fault," Gunn finally snapped, taking Cordelia by surprise.
"What is?" She asked, puzzled and wondering what she had done. Gunn didn't look up at her.
"The fact I'm losing my best friend!"
Her eyes widened. "Huh?" She dropped down into a chair at the same time. She didn't want to but her ankle was giving way, and she had the feeling she was gonna be here for a while. At least until this whole thing was sorted out.
"I assume he told you about our fight, right?" he asked.
"Right,"
"Well...did he tell you it was about you?"
"What? No! What...why were you fighting about *me* for?" she asked, mentally replaying all the events that had happened in the last hour or so.
"Oh come on Girl! You're a player and he's fallin' for you! Any fool can see that!" he said, walking up to her to get a few of his things from the table beside her. "He, on the other hand, can't."
Cordelia was speechless. A player? Where the hell did he get that idea?
Gunn wasn't finished with her yet. "So don't play dumb Barbie, 'cos I know what you're up to."
"I...er...I" Cordelia looked at him, "What am I up to?" she asked, anxious to know what he thought she was doing.
"You're toying with a man's emotions! This dude's had it rough and you're up in here all 'Look at me I can have any man I want but I'd rather spend the entire time with you?' Please...Spare us all the trouble and-" Gunn's ranting was stopped by the presence of a furious Angel.
"Stop it!" The older man ordered. Gunn stopped, getting back to packing, "How dare you!" Angel continued to yell. Gunn seemed undeterred by Angel's comment.
"Yo! I'm just tellin' the truth man," Gunn replied. "It hurts sometimes,"
Cordelia looked between the two, close to tears, "Look, uh, Angel, I'm gonna go," she said, darting out of the room. (As fast as her limping would allow her at any rate.)
Angel wasn't sure what to do. Beat the crap out of Gunn or chase after Cordy. It was a really tough decision. "Cordy I-" he called out of the door, but she was already out of sight.
"That proves my point. You're more interested in her welfare than your best friend," Gunn said.
"I thought you said we weren't friends any more,"
"Touché," Gunn muttered, sarcasm dripping from the word.
"Gunn...if you haven't noticed I'm seriously interested in this one. And if you can't accept that-"
"Angel! I know you're into her, but is she into you?" Gunn asked, stopping his packing and glaring back at his (once) friend.
"I..." Angel couldn't reply. Dammit! Gunn had a point! "I haven't had a chance to find out 'cos someone keeps ruining the moment!"
Lorne, running into the room, interrupted their argument. Out of breath, he looked at the two, realising something was wrong, "What happened here?" he asked.
"Nothing. I was just leaving," Angel tossed back as he left. "Lorne, have you seen Cordy?" Angel asked.
Lorne nodded. "I was rushing back here to see whether you had." Angel looked puzzled. Lorne sighed. "She pushed past me on her way down the hall…had tears streaming down her face and everything. I thought you might know what was up." He seemed to gaze off. "Poor thing. Seemed so…vulnerable…"
Angel gave Gunn one last death stare and raced out the room. Lorne looked at the other man. "Okay…Will someone *please* tell me what the hell is going on?!"
Gunn shrugged and went back to his bag. He wasn't in the mood for talking right now.
**************************
A/N- *Insane1*- Okay…do you know how hard it was to write the beach scene and keep it clean? Honestly…my 17-year-old (in less than a week! Go the Geminis! ^_^) hormones are working in hyper-drive lately and Mrs O suggests we send them to the beach. THE BEACH? With a half naked Angel (…yummm…No! Bad thoughts!) and a scantily clad Cordy…with lotion and rubbing and…? *Clears throat* We don't need to go there. Or rather…*I* don't need to go there. ^_^ If you can't tell from a majority of the scene, I had lots of trouble with maintaining the PG-13 rating there…lol…^_^ I think it kinda drove Mrs O crazy…hah! Now we can both be insane…lol…Oh yeah…please review! Chapter 5 is already underway and we need to know what you're thinking so far! Thanks