Toting his slimy weapons, Angel dragged himself back inside the hotel. He, Wesley, and Gunn had finished off the last of the demons without too much trouble but he wasn't sure what he'd face back home.
At first glance, matters seemed calm enough. Cordelia was in the lobby locking all the weapons cases and Buffy was watching her. The moment she spotted Angel, though, Buffy rushed up to him and flung her arms around his knees. "Angel! She's mean!"
Angel looked from Buffy's tear-stained cheeks to Cordelia's stern expression.
"I'm sure Cordelia didn't intend to be mean, did she?"
"Of course I didn't!" Cordelia huffed. "But you know Buffy and I never got along that well even when we were the same age. Why would you think things would be any different now? And her idea of being mean consists of me not letting her play with the pointy objects in the cases YOU forgot to lock when you ran out of here before. That, of course, was after I stopped her from running down the street after a dirty stray mongrel she wanted to adopt. I was actually being helpful since that thing probably would have bitten her if she'd caught it."
"All right, all right." Angel carefully disentangled himself from Buffy and set aside his armful of weapons. "I should have locked up and you were right about the dog. But it couldn't have been all THAT bad, could it?"
Cordelia didn't look at him, but she did remark, "You need to go shopping. Buffy doesn't have any spare clothes or toys or anything at all."
"How do I do that?"
"You drive to the store, and you pick out the things, and you pay for them."
"No, I mean how do I know what to get?" Angel looked at Buffy. What sizes should he get? What colors? There was a reason he wore so much black.
"Take her with you and ask the clerk," Cordelia ordered him.
"OK." Angel looked around for Buffy, who had a habit of wandering away with no notice whatsoever. This time he found her over by the telephone, poking at the buttons. "Buffy, we're going shopping." As he led her away, he remembered something. "Cordy, can you clean those weapons for me?"
She was so relieved to get him and Buffy out of her hair for a while that she didn't even complain.
..........
Twenty minutes later, holding Buffy's hand, Angel stepped inside Kids R Us and immediately was lost. Where to start? What to get?
Fortunately, a saleswoman spotted his confused expression and closed in. "Can I help you?"
"Yes, I need to buy clothes for my-" Angel hesitated. He didn't know quite how to describe Buffy. "For my ward," he ended up saying.
"Claire can help you with that. Wait here." The woman retreated.
Within a minute, an older woman with graying hair came over to Angel. "You wanted some help shopping for your little girl? What do you need?"
"Everything?" The saleswoman gave him a very odd look. Angel covered, "She doesn't have any clothes because there was a fire and it all burnt up. Everything except what she's wearing."
Claire instantly looked sympathetic. "Oh, the poor little thing. I'll take care of her."
Angel trailed behind as the clerk took Buffy by the hand and plowed through the clothing department, loading a cart with all sorts of items. He never would thought to grab half the stuff she did. Eventually, Claire seemed to have decided she'd chosen enough and turned back to Angel. "This should do for a while."
Angel thanked her and took over the cart, leading Buffy toward the checkout lane. The expedition hadn't been as hard as he'd thought it would be. Then Buffy spotted the toy department.
"Look, Angel! Barbie!" She began to tug him toward the aisle.
"Well, all right," Angel decided. He could buy Buffy a couple of toys. She needed to have something fun and if it would help to keep her occupied and out of trouble, it would be well worth the investment.
Only as it turned out, Buffy didn't want just a Barbie. She also wanted the Deluxe Barbie Dreamhouse, Legos, a Tickle Me Elmo, several dolls, and almost a dozen stuffed animals. And that was just for starters. Finally, Angel revolted when Buffy insisted on having something called a Furby. It seemed Cordelia had allowed Buffy to watch some television that evening and she had seen numerous Furby commercials.
"No, Buffy," Angel said firmly. "You have enough toys already. We have to leave."
"But I want the Furby," she said, pawing through the lower shelves on her hunt. "It's a white Furby with blue eyes."
"I said no," Angel repeated, taking her hand and trying to pull her away.
"I want my Furby!" Buffy wailed.
"Shhh!" Angel hissed. He felt like every pair of eyes in the store was trained on them.
Buffy's shrieks grew louder until the word "Furby" was barely distinguishable.
"Fine, here." Angel grabbed the nearest box and stuffed it into her arms. "There's your Furby. You can have it. Just stop crying, please."
Buffy did stop crying. Then she looked at the box and started up again. "He's all wrong!"
"What's wrong with it?" Angel stared at the container. The Furby was white. That was what she had wanted.
"He has brown eyes, not blue," Buffy sobbed.
Angel shrugged. "Close enough."
Not in Buffy's mind. "He has to have blue eyes!" she screamed.
Angel felt accusing eyes burning into him from all directions, as if everyone in the store thought he was torturing a little girl. He hadn't been so embarrassed in ages. Frantically, he turned back to the shelves and shoved aside boxes, digging for the exact color combination Buffy wanted. There was a blue-eyed, white one, but it also had black patches and he wasn't about to repeat his mistake. He shoved it aside and kept looking. After what felt like forever, Angel finally found another white Furby. Thankfully, this one did have blue eyes. "Buffy!" He had to shout so she could hear him above her wails. "Here!"
Buffy accepted the Furby and instantly stopped crying. Taking advantage of her distraction, Angel steered the cart toward the exit and tugged Buffy along behind him. He wanted nothing more than to get out of the store as quickly as possible. Cordelia should have warned him.
At first glance, matters seemed calm enough. Cordelia was in the lobby locking all the weapons cases and Buffy was watching her. The moment she spotted Angel, though, Buffy rushed up to him and flung her arms around his knees. "Angel! She's mean!"
Angel looked from Buffy's tear-stained cheeks to Cordelia's stern expression.
"I'm sure Cordelia didn't intend to be mean, did she?"
"Of course I didn't!" Cordelia huffed. "But you know Buffy and I never got along that well even when we were the same age. Why would you think things would be any different now? And her idea of being mean consists of me not letting her play with the pointy objects in the cases YOU forgot to lock when you ran out of here before. That, of course, was after I stopped her from running down the street after a dirty stray mongrel she wanted to adopt. I was actually being helpful since that thing probably would have bitten her if she'd caught it."
"All right, all right." Angel carefully disentangled himself from Buffy and set aside his armful of weapons. "I should have locked up and you were right about the dog. But it couldn't have been all THAT bad, could it?"
Cordelia didn't look at him, but she did remark, "You need to go shopping. Buffy doesn't have any spare clothes or toys or anything at all."
"How do I do that?"
"You drive to the store, and you pick out the things, and you pay for them."
"No, I mean how do I know what to get?" Angel looked at Buffy. What sizes should he get? What colors? There was a reason he wore so much black.
"Take her with you and ask the clerk," Cordelia ordered him.
"OK." Angel looked around for Buffy, who had a habit of wandering away with no notice whatsoever. This time he found her over by the telephone, poking at the buttons. "Buffy, we're going shopping." As he led her away, he remembered something. "Cordy, can you clean those weapons for me?"
She was so relieved to get him and Buffy out of her hair for a while that she didn't even complain.
..........
Twenty minutes later, holding Buffy's hand, Angel stepped inside Kids R Us and immediately was lost. Where to start? What to get?
Fortunately, a saleswoman spotted his confused expression and closed in. "Can I help you?"
"Yes, I need to buy clothes for my-" Angel hesitated. He didn't know quite how to describe Buffy. "For my ward," he ended up saying.
"Claire can help you with that. Wait here." The woman retreated.
Within a minute, an older woman with graying hair came over to Angel. "You wanted some help shopping for your little girl? What do you need?"
"Everything?" The saleswoman gave him a very odd look. Angel covered, "She doesn't have any clothes because there was a fire and it all burnt up. Everything except what she's wearing."
Claire instantly looked sympathetic. "Oh, the poor little thing. I'll take care of her."
Angel trailed behind as the clerk took Buffy by the hand and plowed through the clothing department, loading a cart with all sorts of items. He never would thought to grab half the stuff she did. Eventually, Claire seemed to have decided she'd chosen enough and turned back to Angel. "This should do for a while."
Angel thanked her and took over the cart, leading Buffy toward the checkout lane. The expedition hadn't been as hard as he'd thought it would be. Then Buffy spotted the toy department.
"Look, Angel! Barbie!" She began to tug him toward the aisle.
"Well, all right," Angel decided. He could buy Buffy a couple of toys. She needed to have something fun and if it would help to keep her occupied and out of trouble, it would be well worth the investment.
Only as it turned out, Buffy didn't want just a Barbie. She also wanted the Deluxe Barbie Dreamhouse, Legos, a Tickle Me Elmo, several dolls, and almost a dozen stuffed animals. And that was just for starters. Finally, Angel revolted when Buffy insisted on having something called a Furby. It seemed Cordelia had allowed Buffy to watch some television that evening and she had seen numerous Furby commercials.
"No, Buffy," Angel said firmly. "You have enough toys already. We have to leave."
"But I want the Furby," she said, pawing through the lower shelves on her hunt. "It's a white Furby with blue eyes."
"I said no," Angel repeated, taking her hand and trying to pull her away.
"I want my Furby!" Buffy wailed.
"Shhh!" Angel hissed. He felt like every pair of eyes in the store was trained on them.
Buffy's shrieks grew louder until the word "Furby" was barely distinguishable.
"Fine, here." Angel grabbed the nearest box and stuffed it into her arms. "There's your Furby. You can have it. Just stop crying, please."
Buffy did stop crying. Then she looked at the box and started up again. "He's all wrong!"
"What's wrong with it?" Angel stared at the container. The Furby was white. That was what she had wanted.
"He has brown eyes, not blue," Buffy sobbed.
Angel shrugged. "Close enough."
Not in Buffy's mind. "He has to have blue eyes!" she screamed.
Angel felt accusing eyes burning into him from all directions, as if everyone in the store thought he was torturing a little girl. He hadn't been so embarrassed in ages. Frantically, he turned back to the shelves and shoved aside boxes, digging for the exact color combination Buffy wanted. There was a blue-eyed, white one, but it also had black patches and he wasn't about to repeat his mistake. He shoved it aside and kept looking. After what felt like forever, Angel finally found another white Furby. Thankfully, this one did have blue eyes. "Buffy!" He had to shout so she could hear him above her wails. "Here!"
Buffy accepted the Furby and instantly stopped crying. Taking advantage of her distraction, Angel steered the cart toward the exit and tugged Buffy along behind him. He wanted nothing more than to get out of the store as quickly as possible. Cordelia should have warned him.
