Title: Music for the Soul: Part II
Author: Katherine Eve
Characters: Angel, Doyle (sorry, no Buffy despite being in Sunnydale)
Disclaimer: I'm not clever enough to come up with Angel, and certainly not Doyle, that was all Joss Whedon. If only my creations were as great.
Summary: Doyle and Angel bonding. Lots of hopefully giggle-worthy one-liners, and the set-up for the mysterious mystery!!
Note: Thanks for the feedback on part 1. I wasn't expecting very much, so any time I get a little feedback it is a very pleasant surprise.
Chapter 2
The moon was high as Angel and Doyle packed their few belongings into the back seat of the vampire's car.
"I'm guessing since this is a convertible and you can't blacken the windows, we'll be traveling mostly at night. Right?" Doyle asked. He waited a moment for Angel's reply. When none came he concluded, "I'll take your ignoring my question as a 'yes.'"
"I wasn't ignoring your question," Angel defended himself as he climbed into the driver's seat of the car. "It just sounded like a rhetorical question. I didn't think it required an answer."
Doyle pulled the passenger side door shut and turned to his friend. "I was just trying to make conversation."
The key turned and the car started up, ready for the long drive ahead of them. "Making conversation isn't a necessity. If there's nothing to say, why fill up the silence with meaningless talk?"
"So I'm scared of silence. Sue me."
Doyle began shifting uneasily in his seat as a wave of silence came over the two. After a moment he commented, "Well, this should be an interesting trip. For starters, I'll just put the beer in the cooler."
A slight smile spread across Angel's face as Doyle twisted around to open the cooler in the back seat. The smile grew wider as a high-pitched shriek came from Doyle's mouth.
"Angel! You could have warned me!" Doyle groaned as he situated himself back in his seat still holding the beer.
"What else did you expect to find in a vampire's cooler?"
"I'm just not used to it, that's all. Most people put sandwiches and pop in their coolers. Not big bags of blood!" Another moan and a small giggle came from Doyle who rested his head on the back of the seat. After a few deep breaths to calm himself Doyle changed the subject.
"So. Why don't you go first? Oh. If you don't mind, could you leave out the hundred years you were tortured in Hell? I know its a long drive to Sunnydale, but add that in and we could have time to drive to Vancouver."
Keeping his focus fixed on the black highway that stretched out in front of him, Angel answered, "You don't need to hear *my* life story. You already know the whole thing. You told it to me yourself the first day I came to LA. Remember?"
"I know. I just thought hearing it from your point of view would be more interesting. But I won't push. I know you don't like talking about it."
"You're right, I don't. So why don't you tell me yours instead."
Doyle stumbled on his words as he spoke. He wasn't quite sure how to respond. "I think you pretty much know mine. You know, its the same old half-demon, half-human story. Live the first twenty years like a normal person, find out you have demonic powers, get divorced, and then devote your life to doing good by using the mind-splitting vision you get from the-powers-that-be. Not much to talk about. Really."
"Just the reasons you decided to do good. What did you do that was so horrible that you're making up for?" Angel pushed.
"Oh, nothing major. A few debts here, a few bets gone bad there. Nothing compared to you..." Doyle cut himself off quickly before he went any further. He always caught himself slipping and saying something he knew would hurt Angel. He was constantly bringing up the past. "I'm sorry, man. I just..."
"Don't apologize," Angel interrupted. "You didn't live through it. You don't take the past as seriously as I do. But you're right. Whatever you did, it doesn't compare to anything I've done."
The silence that enveloped the two practically strangled Doyle. He could almost feel it wrapping around him and cutting off his flow of air, but he knew it was his fault. He had said something wrong and the conversation had gone as dead as the vampire sitting next to him. He wanted to say something to shatter the silence, but he could tell Angel was deep in thought. It seemed like Angel was always deep in thought. So many memories and emotions filled Angel's head, yet he remained speechless most of the time.
Doyle often found himself wondering what was going on inside his friend's mind but always came to the same conclusion. He would never know. It was unlikely that Angel would ever willingly speak his mind and it was impossible for Doyle to put himself in Angel's shoes. To get inside his mind. Doyle kept telling himself he had to accept the fact that Angel was a secretive man with issues that would never be resolved.
The coast paralleling the highway had almost vanished from view in the black night. Doyle kept silent against his will. This was not how he had wanted the trip to go. He kept himself busy by playing road games in his head. He had tried playing slug-bug earlier, but he had seen an average of about two cars every hour and few had been bugs. Plus, it wasn't fun if you didn't slug somebody when you saw one, and he figured Angel wouldn't take well to being punched in the arm.
Doyle couldn't keep himself from jumping from shock as Angel's voice was the one to break the streak of silent hours. "What else can you tell me about this girl you saw?"
After taking a second to collect his scattered thoughts, Doyle answered, "I can't remember much. Like I said, the flashes are short."
"Well, what did she look like?" Angel pushed.
Doyle turned and looked at Angel with a curious expression. "Why are you so anxious to know? You've never been this eager about a case before."
Angel deviated his attention away from the empty highway for a split second. "Just trying to make conversation," he smiled at Doyle.
Happy to see that his friend's sense of humor was showing some signs of development, Doyle chimed in excitedly. "Well, in that case, how about joining in on my one-man game of 'I Spy' I've been playing in my head. I know its not the best form of entertainment, but it passes the time. It's also much more interesting when you're playing against somebody else."
Doyle finally relaxed back in his seat as the conversation took off. This was what he had wanted all along. To get Angel out of his shell for once. He always felt like their relationship consisted of being boss and employee. Doyle wanted to have a friend rather than an employer.
Angel, on the other hand, struggled with every word he spoke. He could clearly see that Doyle was enjoying himself now that the two were talking. The only problem was, Angel had become extremely uncomfortable. The words flowed from Doyle's mouth with ease. He didn't even need to think about what he was going to say next. Doyle had always tried to convince Angel that the two of them had so much in common. Both were half-demon, half-human. Both were trying to make-up for past mistakes. Their background was similar, but their personalities were extremely different.
Doyle paused in mid sentence and let out a sigh. "You're not really enjoying this at all, are you?" Before he let Angel reply, he went on. "Its okay. I can tell. You're comfortable with silence. You're not a talker. I just thought you could talk to *me*. I thought we could be friends."
"Of course we're friends, Doyle. We're just different. You like to talk. Its easy for you."
Angel knew, despite his explanation, Doyle's feelings had been hurt. "I've got an idea. How about you talk, and I listen. Who says a conversation has to consist of two people?"
At first, the suggestion sounded ridiculous. After thinking about it a moment, however, Doyle did see the logic. "If you have anything you want to say, you'll say it. Right?" Doyle smiled as Angel nodded his head. "Well, then. Just chime in when you feel like it."
This time, both relaxed back in their seats as the car sped toward Sunnydale.
Chapter III
Memories overflowed Angel's head as he guided the car down the familiar streets of Sunnydale. The remains of the high school were in the process of being removed when the car sailed silently along the street where it used to stand.
"So that must be the work of the slayer," Doyle commented as he stared in disbelief at what remained of the charred building. "I know I shouldn't bring up the subject, but you're not planning on running into any old girlfriends, are you? 'Cause I hear, one in particular has an interesting effect on you when you get together."
"This has nothing to do with Buffy," Angel sharply replied.
The car turned a corner and continued passed an unending graveyard.
"Yikes. Now that's a whole lot of dead people. And I thought the mortality rate in Los Angeles was high." Doyle again stared in disbelief. "I've heard holding your breath while driving passed a graveyard is good luck, but in this case, I think you'll end up dying of suffocation before you get a chance to enjoy any sort of luck."
The sun began to threaten in the sky as morning approached. Angel pushed on the brakes as the car rolled toward an old, desolate mansion, barely visible through the thickness of trees. Doyle let out a groan as Angel opened the car door and got out.
"Don't tell me this is where we're staying? Didn't you bring money for a motel or something?"
"You were the one who wanted to come, remember? I realize the old place doesn't compare to your luxurious apartment, but it'll have to do." Angel's rare sarcasm caught Doyle off guard for a moment.
"Hey, I know my place isn't the Drake Hotel of Chicago, but this place is falling apart!"
Angel ignored Doyle's comment and grabbed his bag and cooler out of the back seat.
"All right, it'll do. But if it collapses on us in the middle of the day, don't expect my forgiveness," he complained as he followed Angel into the decreped building. "Hey, Angel. You're not planning on drinking that stuff in front of me, are you?" Doyle's eyes were fixed disgustedly on the cooler swinging by Angel's side.
Doyle stripped off his black leather jacket and drapped it over his arm as he studied the inside of the building they had just entered. "It's a good thing Cordy didn't come. One look at this place and she would have jumped in the car and sped back home." After a pause Doyle turned to Angel with a smile. "Ya know, we've still got that six pack in the car. How 'bout it? A toast to our new home!"
"I didn't think the place was good enough for a toast?"
Doyle shrugged. "All right then. A toast to your successful homecoming."
"You go ahead, just don't keep me up," Angel replied as he situated himself on the cold cement.
"It's always confused me why vamps need to sleep. I mean, you're dead," Doyle bluntly stated.
"Thanks for the reminder." Angel's voice was flat as he closed his eyes.
Doyle continued despite Angel's unwillingness to chat. "If you think about it, we're both demons. A dead guy like yourself shouldn't need sleep. I'm still technically alive, however, so I need it."
"Good. If you're alive and need to sleep, maybe you should try it now." A low growl was now present in the vampire's voice.
Doyle slid down a wall and brought his knees to his chest as he sat. He couldn't bring himself to lie down on the dust-coated floor. In a few moments, the two demons rested comfortably and peacefully slept the day away.
To Be Continued... the intrigue begins!!!
Author: Katherine Eve
Characters: Angel, Doyle (sorry, no Buffy despite being in Sunnydale)
Disclaimer: I'm not clever enough to come up with Angel, and certainly not Doyle, that was all Joss Whedon. If only my creations were as great.
Summary: Doyle and Angel bonding. Lots of hopefully giggle-worthy one-liners, and the set-up for the mysterious mystery!!
Note: Thanks for the feedback on part 1. I wasn't expecting very much, so any time I get a little feedback it is a very pleasant surprise.
Chapter 2
The moon was high as Angel and Doyle packed their few belongings into the back seat of the vampire's car.
"I'm guessing since this is a convertible and you can't blacken the windows, we'll be traveling mostly at night. Right?" Doyle asked. He waited a moment for Angel's reply. When none came he concluded, "I'll take your ignoring my question as a 'yes.'"
"I wasn't ignoring your question," Angel defended himself as he climbed into the driver's seat of the car. "It just sounded like a rhetorical question. I didn't think it required an answer."
Doyle pulled the passenger side door shut and turned to his friend. "I was just trying to make conversation."
The key turned and the car started up, ready for the long drive ahead of them. "Making conversation isn't a necessity. If there's nothing to say, why fill up the silence with meaningless talk?"
"So I'm scared of silence. Sue me."
Doyle began shifting uneasily in his seat as a wave of silence came over the two. After a moment he commented, "Well, this should be an interesting trip. For starters, I'll just put the beer in the cooler."
A slight smile spread across Angel's face as Doyle twisted around to open the cooler in the back seat. The smile grew wider as a high-pitched shriek came from Doyle's mouth.
"Angel! You could have warned me!" Doyle groaned as he situated himself back in his seat still holding the beer.
"What else did you expect to find in a vampire's cooler?"
"I'm just not used to it, that's all. Most people put sandwiches and pop in their coolers. Not big bags of blood!" Another moan and a small giggle came from Doyle who rested his head on the back of the seat. After a few deep breaths to calm himself Doyle changed the subject.
"So. Why don't you go first? Oh. If you don't mind, could you leave out the hundred years you were tortured in Hell? I know its a long drive to Sunnydale, but add that in and we could have time to drive to Vancouver."
Keeping his focus fixed on the black highway that stretched out in front of him, Angel answered, "You don't need to hear *my* life story. You already know the whole thing. You told it to me yourself the first day I came to LA. Remember?"
"I know. I just thought hearing it from your point of view would be more interesting. But I won't push. I know you don't like talking about it."
"You're right, I don't. So why don't you tell me yours instead."
Doyle stumbled on his words as he spoke. He wasn't quite sure how to respond. "I think you pretty much know mine. You know, its the same old half-demon, half-human story. Live the first twenty years like a normal person, find out you have demonic powers, get divorced, and then devote your life to doing good by using the mind-splitting vision you get from the-powers-that-be. Not much to talk about. Really."
"Just the reasons you decided to do good. What did you do that was so horrible that you're making up for?" Angel pushed.
"Oh, nothing major. A few debts here, a few bets gone bad there. Nothing compared to you..." Doyle cut himself off quickly before he went any further. He always caught himself slipping and saying something he knew would hurt Angel. He was constantly bringing up the past. "I'm sorry, man. I just..."
"Don't apologize," Angel interrupted. "You didn't live through it. You don't take the past as seriously as I do. But you're right. Whatever you did, it doesn't compare to anything I've done."
The silence that enveloped the two practically strangled Doyle. He could almost feel it wrapping around him and cutting off his flow of air, but he knew it was his fault. He had said something wrong and the conversation had gone as dead as the vampire sitting next to him. He wanted to say something to shatter the silence, but he could tell Angel was deep in thought. It seemed like Angel was always deep in thought. So many memories and emotions filled Angel's head, yet he remained speechless most of the time.
Doyle often found himself wondering what was going on inside his friend's mind but always came to the same conclusion. He would never know. It was unlikely that Angel would ever willingly speak his mind and it was impossible for Doyle to put himself in Angel's shoes. To get inside his mind. Doyle kept telling himself he had to accept the fact that Angel was a secretive man with issues that would never be resolved.
The coast paralleling the highway had almost vanished from view in the black night. Doyle kept silent against his will. This was not how he had wanted the trip to go. He kept himself busy by playing road games in his head. He had tried playing slug-bug earlier, but he had seen an average of about two cars every hour and few had been bugs. Plus, it wasn't fun if you didn't slug somebody when you saw one, and he figured Angel wouldn't take well to being punched in the arm.
Doyle couldn't keep himself from jumping from shock as Angel's voice was the one to break the streak of silent hours. "What else can you tell me about this girl you saw?"
After taking a second to collect his scattered thoughts, Doyle answered, "I can't remember much. Like I said, the flashes are short."
"Well, what did she look like?" Angel pushed.
Doyle turned and looked at Angel with a curious expression. "Why are you so anxious to know? You've never been this eager about a case before."
Angel deviated his attention away from the empty highway for a split second. "Just trying to make conversation," he smiled at Doyle.
Happy to see that his friend's sense of humor was showing some signs of development, Doyle chimed in excitedly. "Well, in that case, how about joining in on my one-man game of 'I Spy' I've been playing in my head. I know its not the best form of entertainment, but it passes the time. It's also much more interesting when you're playing against somebody else."
Doyle finally relaxed back in his seat as the conversation took off. This was what he had wanted all along. To get Angel out of his shell for once. He always felt like their relationship consisted of being boss and employee. Doyle wanted to have a friend rather than an employer.
Angel, on the other hand, struggled with every word he spoke. He could clearly see that Doyle was enjoying himself now that the two were talking. The only problem was, Angel had become extremely uncomfortable. The words flowed from Doyle's mouth with ease. He didn't even need to think about what he was going to say next. Doyle had always tried to convince Angel that the two of them had so much in common. Both were half-demon, half-human. Both were trying to make-up for past mistakes. Their background was similar, but their personalities were extremely different.
Doyle paused in mid sentence and let out a sigh. "You're not really enjoying this at all, are you?" Before he let Angel reply, he went on. "Its okay. I can tell. You're comfortable with silence. You're not a talker. I just thought you could talk to *me*. I thought we could be friends."
"Of course we're friends, Doyle. We're just different. You like to talk. Its easy for you."
Angel knew, despite his explanation, Doyle's feelings had been hurt. "I've got an idea. How about you talk, and I listen. Who says a conversation has to consist of two people?"
At first, the suggestion sounded ridiculous. After thinking about it a moment, however, Doyle did see the logic. "If you have anything you want to say, you'll say it. Right?" Doyle smiled as Angel nodded his head. "Well, then. Just chime in when you feel like it."
This time, both relaxed back in their seats as the car sped toward Sunnydale.
Chapter III
Memories overflowed Angel's head as he guided the car down the familiar streets of Sunnydale. The remains of the high school were in the process of being removed when the car sailed silently along the street where it used to stand.
"So that must be the work of the slayer," Doyle commented as he stared in disbelief at what remained of the charred building. "I know I shouldn't bring up the subject, but you're not planning on running into any old girlfriends, are you? 'Cause I hear, one in particular has an interesting effect on you when you get together."
"This has nothing to do with Buffy," Angel sharply replied.
The car turned a corner and continued passed an unending graveyard.
"Yikes. Now that's a whole lot of dead people. And I thought the mortality rate in Los Angeles was high." Doyle again stared in disbelief. "I've heard holding your breath while driving passed a graveyard is good luck, but in this case, I think you'll end up dying of suffocation before you get a chance to enjoy any sort of luck."
The sun began to threaten in the sky as morning approached. Angel pushed on the brakes as the car rolled toward an old, desolate mansion, barely visible through the thickness of trees. Doyle let out a groan as Angel opened the car door and got out.
"Don't tell me this is where we're staying? Didn't you bring money for a motel or something?"
"You were the one who wanted to come, remember? I realize the old place doesn't compare to your luxurious apartment, but it'll have to do." Angel's rare sarcasm caught Doyle off guard for a moment.
"Hey, I know my place isn't the Drake Hotel of Chicago, but this place is falling apart!"
Angel ignored Doyle's comment and grabbed his bag and cooler out of the back seat.
"All right, it'll do. But if it collapses on us in the middle of the day, don't expect my forgiveness," he complained as he followed Angel into the decreped building. "Hey, Angel. You're not planning on drinking that stuff in front of me, are you?" Doyle's eyes were fixed disgustedly on the cooler swinging by Angel's side.
Doyle stripped off his black leather jacket and drapped it over his arm as he studied the inside of the building they had just entered. "It's a good thing Cordy didn't come. One look at this place and she would have jumped in the car and sped back home." After a pause Doyle turned to Angel with a smile. "Ya know, we've still got that six pack in the car. How 'bout it? A toast to our new home!"
"I didn't think the place was good enough for a toast?"
Doyle shrugged. "All right then. A toast to your successful homecoming."
"You go ahead, just don't keep me up," Angel replied as he situated himself on the cold cement.
"It's always confused me why vamps need to sleep. I mean, you're dead," Doyle bluntly stated.
"Thanks for the reminder." Angel's voice was flat as he closed his eyes.
Doyle continued despite Angel's unwillingness to chat. "If you think about it, we're both demons. A dead guy like yourself shouldn't need sleep. I'm still technically alive, however, so I need it."
"Good. If you're alive and need to sleep, maybe you should try it now." A low growl was now present in the vampire's voice.
Doyle slid down a wall and brought his knees to his chest as he sat. He couldn't bring himself to lie down on the dust-coated floor. In a few moments, the two demons rested comfortably and peacefully slept the day away.
To Be Continued... the intrigue begins!!!