Chapter Three
Angel sat at the end of his bed and rubbed his hand over his face.
"It's a beard." Lorne said as he entered the room. "You've been laying in that bed for three days."
"I'm tired." Angel grumbled.
"Your frightened, sugar plum." Lorne walked across the room and placed the tray of food on the table. "I brought you something to eat."
"I'm not hungry." Angel sighed.
"You have to eat." Lorne said.
"I'll just have some water." Angel replied.
"No." Lorne said strictly. "You can not mope around here any longer. We all lost Cordy."
"Shut up!" Angel shouted over Lorne.
"We all loved her!" Lorne screamed. "We all lost her. We have to deal!"
"You weren't the one." Angel stifled a sob. "You weren't the one who cut her head off."
"That wasn't really Cordy." Lorne said. "You heard what The Powers said. Cordy is up there with them, happy. We've consulted every psychic, shaman and oracle we know. They all said the same thing. Cordy is fine. She's working with a new champion in another plane. She's not really here. That wasn't her."
"I know." Angel said. "It's just."
"It hurts." Lorne sat down on the bed next to Angel. "But listen up, Angel-hair, you're not the only one grieving. Everyone is down and out. They no longer have a path, a fight."
"We are who we are." Angel breathed.
"Yes." Lorne said. "And who are you?"
Angel looked at Lorne puzzled.
"You're no longer a vampire with a soul trying to find redemption." Lorne said. "You're a man again. A human man."
"So what do I do now?" Angel sighed. "Go back to what?"
"You have to ask yourself what you want to go back to." Lorne replied.
Angel stood and went to the mirror. He gazed at his long forgotten image and rubbed his hand across his growing beard. "I know where I need to be."
"Good." Lorne said cheerfully, standing and clasping his hands together. "That what's say we throw you in the shower, shove some food in your throat and get a move on it."
"I say. I'm game." Angel said, moving into the connected bathroom and shutting the door.
"How's he doing?" Wesley asked as Lorne came down the stairs.
"Our big Angel-muffin?" Lorne smirked. "He's getting into the shower and into some clothes as we speak."
"Great." Fred bubbled. "Isn't that great?"
"Yea great." Gunn said, standing at the weapons cabinet.
"What's the matter, dumpling?" Lorne asked as Gunn shifted a sword.
"Nothing to fight." Gunn said. "No evil. And Brainiac over here can't figure out why."
"And that's a bad thing?" Lorne asked. "No evil should be a good thing."
"It's all going somewhere." Wes said as the phone started to ring.
"Angel Investigations, we help the hopeless." Fred said as she answered the phone. "Uh huh, uh huh. Yea, hold on a minute." Fred placed the phone down on the desk. "Wes, it's Dawn, she needs to talk to you or Angel."
Wesley walked to the phone and picked it up. "Dawn." He said. "How are you, how's Sunnydale?"
Gunn watched as Wesley's face went from happy, to worried, to scared, the color washed right out of his features as he listened to the caller.
"I see." Wesley finally said. "We'll be there soon." He hung up the phone.
"What's wrong?" Gunn asked, suddenly worried.
"Wesley?" Angel asked from his place on the stairs.
"That was Dawn." Wesley said.
"The slayer's kid sister?" Gunn asked.
"Yes." Wesley said distracted.
"Wes?" Angel interrupted. "What's wrong?"
"Dawn said that The First is trying to open the Hellmouth." Wesley said. "That they've been patrolling night and day. And that they're losing grip on the city."
"Buffy?" Angel quickly asked.
"Is alive." Wesley said. "Dawn said that things are really bad. They're being attacked round the clock."
"What's a first?" Gunn interjected.
"The First." Angel replied.
"The First Evil." Wesley said.
"If she needs me, I have to go." Angel said, walking into his office.
"Angel, you're human now." Wesley said.
"You've been human this whole time." Angel snapped.
"I'm with the boss man, let's go." Gunn said.
"Start packing." Angel commanded. "We leave come night fall."
"Angel?" Lorne said.
"You're coming too." Angel said. "All of us."
The MoG split up and began packing their personal belongings as well as the weapons.
Angel sat at the end of his bed and rubbed his hand over his face.
"It's a beard." Lorne said as he entered the room. "You've been laying in that bed for three days."
"I'm tired." Angel grumbled.
"Your frightened, sugar plum." Lorne walked across the room and placed the tray of food on the table. "I brought you something to eat."
"I'm not hungry." Angel sighed.
"You have to eat." Lorne said.
"I'll just have some water." Angel replied.
"No." Lorne said strictly. "You can not mope around here any longer. We all lost Cordy."
"Shut up!" Angel shouted over Lorne.
"We all loved her!" Lorne screamed. "We all lost her. We have to deal!"
"You weren't the one." Angel stifled a sob. "You weren't the one who cut her head off."
"That wasn't really Cordy." Lorne said. "You heard what The Powers said. Cordy is up there with them, happy. We've consulted every psychic, shaman and oracle we know. They all said the same thing. Cordy is fine. She's working with a new champion in another plane. She's not really here. That wasn't her."
"I know." Angel said. "It's just."
"It hurts." Lorne sat down on the bed next to Angel. "But listen up, Angel-hair, you're not the only one grieving. Everyone is down and out. They no longer have a path, a fight."
"We are who we are." Angel breathed.
"Yes." Lorne said. "And who are you?"
Angel looked at Lorne puzzled.
"You're no longer a vampire with a soul trying to find redemption." Lorne said. "You're a man again. A human man."
"So what do I do now?" Angel sighed. "Go back to what?"
"You have to ask yourself what you want to go back to." Lorne replied.
Angel stood and went to the mirror. He gazed at his long forgotten image and rubbed his hand across his growing beard. "I know where I need to be."
"Good." Lorne said cheerfully, standing and clasping his hands together. "That what's say we throw you in the shower, shove some food in your throat and get a move on it."
"I say. I'm game." Angel said, moving into the connected bathroom and shutting the door.
"How's he doing?" Wesley asked as Lorne came down the stairs.
"Our big Angel-muffin?" Lorne smirked. "He's getting into the shower and into some clothes as we speak."
"Great." Fred bubbled. "Isn't that great?"
"Yea great." Gunn said, standing at the weapons cabinet.
"What's the matter, dumpling?" Lorne asked as Gunn shifted a sword.
"Nothing to fight." Gunn said. "No evil. And Brainiac over here can't figure out why."
"And that's a bad thing?" Lorne asked. "No evil should be a good thing."
"It's all going somewhere." Wes said as the phone started to ring.
"Angel Investigations, we help the hopeless." Fred said as she answered the phone. "Uh huh, uh huh. Yea, hold on a minute." Fred placed the phone down on the desk. "Wes, it's Dawn, she needs to talk to you or Angel."
Wesley walked to the phone and picked it up. "Dawn." He said. "How are you, how's Sunnydale?"
Gunn watched as Wesley's face went from happy, to worried, to scared, the color washed right out of his features as he listened to the caller.
"I see." Wesley finally said. "We'll be there soon." He hung up the phone.
"What's wrong?" Gunn asked, suddenly worried.
"Wesley?" Angel asked from his place on the stairs.
"That was Dawn." Wesley said.
"The slayer's kid sister?" Gunn asked.
"Yes." Wesley said distracted.
"Wes?" Angel interrupted. "What's wrong?"
"Dawn said that The First is trying to open the Hellmouth." Wesley said. "That they've been patrolling night and day. And that they're losing grip on the city."
"Buffy?" Angel quickly asked.
"Is alive." Wesley said. "Dawn said that things are really bad. They're being attacked round the clock."
"What's a first?" Gunn interjected.
"The First." Angel replied.
"The First Evil." Wesley said.
"If she needs me, I have to go." Angel said, walking into his office.
"Angel, you're human now." Wesley said.
"You've been human this whole time." Angel snapped.
"I'm with the boss man, let's go." Gunn said.
"Start packing." Angel commanded. "We leave come night fall."
"Angel?" Lorne said.
"You're coming too." Angel said. "All of us."
The MoG split up and began packing their personal belongings as well as the weapons.
