A/N: Huge thanks go to the reviewers so far.
PyroBear ~ Thanks for the input. Yeah, I realised we English do dates and stuff differently, *after* I posted. I tried to keep the British to a minimum though. And it was long, I agree. Fluffy, non-needing concentration fairly short chapter ahead.
Gidgetgirl ~ Thanks for all the Beta-ing, ideas, and stuff you could have happily used on your own. I owe you, though I think offering to Beta your stuff would not be the same thing..lol.
DarkSlayer ~ wow. Words of praise indeed! I don't really agree on it sounding like the Angel novels, mainly cuz I emulated other people's styles in this. And they don't sound like Angel novels. Maybe it was the absence of anything remotely fluffy that did it!
Tariq ~ Sorry to disappoint you. It's A/C. But if you liked it so much when you thought it could possibly *not* be A/C, why not try continuing?
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
"She's 8," Wesley frowned. "Shouldn't she be in school, or whatnot?" Cordelia looked at Angel, a new concern etched on her face.
"Oh God, yes. She should be. There's so much little girls need. I mean, she'll need clothes, and school, and stuff, loads of stuff." She put a hand to her forehead, sighing. "Sometime, I wish the PTB were a lot less cryptic."
"You and me both, Cor," Lorne stepped out of the kitchen, scanning it for evidence of the child. "I take it I'm now an unwanted houseguest?" Cordelia turned.
"Oh, sorry, Lorne. It's just almost getting eaten by the things that go bump in the night is enough for the time being. She doesn't even know us, and we've taken her home. I don't want to kick you out, but-"
"Darlin' I get it. If you guys hadn't trashed my hotspot, I'd still be there, trading melodies, and recipes for drinks," he smiled at the memory. "Still, I understand the little honey-pie needs introducing to the demon world about as drastically as she needs a couple of holes in her itty bitty neck, so I'm on out."
"Cordelia, I'm returning home, as well. It is past three," Wesley said quietly. She nodded distractedly.
"Sure, Wes. Connor, you oughta be upstairs as well,' she instructed.
"See you in the morning then," the teen replied, leaping up the stairs easily.
"Charles, I'm going to keep researching. It's as if something's blocking me from getting the full download," Fred looked back at the imac.
"You sure?" he questioned then shrugged. "Okay. See ya upstairs." Fred seated herself back at the computer, sipping a cup of coffee, absently, which was in front of the monitor. Moments later, she made a noise, and cupped her hand over her mouth.
"Ew," she said in disgust, then, to no one, "Cold."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Jane?"
The little girl looked up, big brown eyes fixed on Cordelia's own.
"It's time." Kissing Angel lightly on the cheek, Cordy smoothly elevated her shoulder bag, and slipped his credit card inside it, securely. She looked back down at the girl, who pushed the bowl of cereal away. The eight year old had been in the hotel for nearly two days, and her presence was hardly registering. Twice, she'd had to catch herself before she mentioned the 'D' word in front of Jane, who was so quiet, and never seemed to be there. Finally, the case with the Johanssons sorted out, she had time to do what she did best, blitz on clothing.
She held out a hand, and Jane slid off the chair, and came forward to take it. Cordy flashed a smile back at Angel as they departed, and he smiled, seeing her check her walk to match that of the younger female. Two bunches of pale hair hung down Jane's neck, evidence of Cordy, and she seemed to grow in confidence as she paced at Cordelia's side.
He sighed, turning back to a case file. They had learnt nothing more from Jane, just that she was incredibly quiet, and from her behaviour, had experienced something she was not ready to talk about.
He picked up the wad of post-it notelets, Cordelia's distinctive handwriting on each one, making notes on the little girl, likes, Cheerios, cookies, spaghetti, ice cream, (the result of trying to persuade her to talk, last night) dislikes, oatmeal, eggs, (he'd been hurt at that) full fat milk, and orange juice. He looked down in dismay. Several of the sticky pink slips had attached themselves to his fingers. He tried to pull them off, but this only transferred them from one side, and set of fingers, to the other. Detached regard failed him, and panic ensued. Staring at him hands, he began to wonder wildly if he'd ever get the things off.
"Fred-!" he called.
*~*~*~*~*~*~
"So, what's your favourite colour, kiddo?" Cordy asked, conversationally. She glanced over at Jane. The girl was staring at the toes of her sneakers, and playing with the chain around her neck.
"Hey! Jane!" she called. Jane's head snapped up. Cordelia carried on flicking through the racks of kids clothing. 25 dollars for a shirt? It wasn't even a good shirt..Meh. Angel's money.
"Red," she heard, in a whisper. She turned, still holding one of the offending shirts.
"Jane?" The child met her eyes.
"Red," she stated clearly. Cordelia looked back over the clothes. Pastels, mainly.
"We're not gonna find anything here, sweetie. Let's go spend Angel's money somewhere nice and expensive," she grinned at the girl. Jane gave an answering shy smile, and placed her small hand in Cordy's, without prompting. Squeezing it, Cordy strolled towards the red section of the new store.
*~*~*~*~*~*
"Hamburgers," Cordelia sang out. Angel looked puzzled, as he stepped out of the office, to see Jane helping Cordy carry large numbers of bags inside.
"What?"
"Hamburgers. Add it to the likes list," the ex-cheerleader explained, as if it was perfectly clear what she had meant.
He scowled.
"The likes list is dead. And buried," he added, for dramatic effect. She put her hands on her hips.
"I left the likes list for a couple of hours! What did you do to it?"
"He burnt it," Connor supplied cheerfully, walking out of the kitchen. "Got it stuck to his hands, so he burnt it." She frowned.
"Angel, did I or did I not tell you that post -its are reasonable things, and useful? You do NOT burn my likes list!"
"They are not," he argued back defensively, ignoring the pointlessness, and utter ridiculousness of the situation. "They're evil."
Cordelia raised an eyebrow.
"Uh huh."
"They are!" he repeated, plaintively. Cordelia merely walked away, picking up a pair of bags, and ascending the stairs.
"Post-it's are evil!" he cried. Gunn patted him on the shoulder.
"You lost, big guy." Angel looked at Jane, who was giggling.
"Hey! Don't you get in on the act too!" he told her, which increased the volume of her laughter. He smiled.
"What did you and Cordy buy?" he queried. She took on a solemn look.
"I'm s'posed to tell you that at least five outfits are absolutely neca..ness.necessary for a girl's so..so-shull standing," she finished triumphantly.
Angel rolled his eyes, but kept his smile.
"Oh they are, are they?"
"Yes," Jane nodded decisively.
"What are you two grinning at?" Cordy asked, mock sighing. Angel pointed at Jane, and she, catching on, pointed at him.
"He did it," she announced, with a smile. Cordelia raised another brow.
"So. Burning innocent post-its, and making people grin. Angelus is making a return," she said, and then gave a wicked grin. "The leather pants unfortunately haven't made a come back."
"No. They decided since the post-its arrival, they were out evil-ed, and sacrificed themselves," Angel answered. Gunn and Connor looked at Jane.
"C'mon, kid. You want to get out if here before it gets mushy," Angel heard Gunn tell Jane, as the two males bore her away, and Cordy descended with a smile.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
PyroBear ~ Thanks for the input. Yeah, I realised we English do dates and stuff differently, *after* I posted. I tried to keep the British to a minimum though. And it was long, I agree. Fluffy, non-needing concentration fairly short chapter ahead.
Gidgetgirl ~ Thanks for all the Beta-ing, ideas, and stuff you could have happily used on your own. I owe you, though I think offering to Beta your stuff would not be the same thing..lol.
DarkSlayer ~ wow. Words of praise indeed! I don't really agree on it sounding like the Angel novels, mainly cuz I emulated other people's styles in this. And they don't sound like Angel novels. Maybe it was the absence of anything remotely fluffy that did it!
Tariq ~ Sorry to disappoint you. It's A/C. But if you liked it so much when you thought it could possibly *not* be A/C, why not try continuing?
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
"She's 8," Wesley frowned. "Shouldn't she be in school, or whatnot?" Cordelia looked at Angel, a new concern etched on her face.
"Oh God, yes. She should be. There's so much little girls need. I mean, she'll need clothes, and school, and stuff, loads of stuff." She put a hand to her forehead, sighing. "Sometime, I wish the PTB were a lot less cryptic."
"You and me both, Cor," Lorne stepped out of the kitchen, scanning it for evidence of the child. "I take it I'm now an unwanted houseguest?" Cordelia turned.
"Oh, sorry, Lorne. It's just almost getting eaten by the things that go bump in the night is enough for the time being. She doesn't even know us, and we've taken her home. I don't want to kick you out, but-"
"Darlin' I get it. If you guys hadn't trashed my hotspot, I'd still be there, trading melodies, and recipes for drinks," he smiled at the memory. "Still, I understand the little honey-pie needs introducing to the demon world about as drastically as she needs a couple of holes in her itty bitty neck, so I'm on out."
"Cordelia, I'm returning home, as well. It is past three," Wesley said quietly. She nodded distractedly.
"Sure, Wes. Connor, you oughta be upstairs as well,' she instructed.
"See you in the morning then," the teen replied, leaping up the stairs easily.
"Charles, I'm going to keep researching. It's as if something's blocking me from getting the full download," Fred looked back at the imac.
"You sure?" he questioned then shrugged. "Okay. See ya upstairs." Fred seated herself back at the computer, sipping a cup of coffee, absently, which was in front of the monitor. Moments later, she made a noise, and cupped her hand over her mouth.
"Ew," she said in disgust, then, to no one, "Cold."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Jane?"
The little girl looked up, big brown eyes fixed on Cordelia's own.
"It's time." Kissing Angel lightly on the cheek, Cordy smoothly elevated her shoulder bag, and slipped his credit card inside it, securely. She looked back down at the girl, who pushed the bowl of cereal away. The eight year old had been in the hotel for nearly two days, and her presence was hardly registering. Twice, she'd had to catch herself before she mentioned the 'D' word in front of Jane, who was so quiet, and never seemed to be there. Finally, the case with the Johanssons sorted out, she had time to do what she did best, blitz on clothing.
She held out a hand, and Jane slid off the chair, and came forward to take it. Cordy flashed a smile back at Angel as they departed, and he smiled, seeing her check her walk to match that of the younger female. Two bunches of pale hair hung down Jane's neck, evidence of Cordy, and she seemed to grow in confidence as she paced at Cordelia's side.
He sighed, turning back to a case file. They had learnt nothing more from Jane, just that she was incredibly quiet, and from her behaviour, had experienced something she was not ready to talk about.
He picked up the wad of post-it notelets, Cordelia's distinctive handwriting on each one, making notes on the little girl, likes, Cheerios, cookies, spaghetti, ice cream, (the result of trying to persuade her to talk, last night) dislikes, oatmeal, eggs, (he'd been hurt at that) full fat milk, and orange juice. He looked down in dismay. Several of the sticky pink slips had attached themselves to his fingers. He tried to pull them off, but this only transferred them from one side, and set of fingers, to the other. Detached regard failed him, and panic ensued. Staring at him hands, he began to wonder wildly if he'd ever get the things off.
"Fred-!" he called.
*~*~*~*~*~*~
"So, what's your favourite colour, kiddo?" Cordy asked, conversationally. She glanced over at Jane. The girl was staring at the toes of her sneakers, and playing with the chain around her neck.
"Hey! Jane!" she called. Jane's head snapped up. Cordelia carried on flicking through the racks of kids clothing. 25 dollars for a shirt? It wasn't even a good shirt..Meh. Angel's money.
"Red," she heard, in a whisper. She turned, still holding one of the offending shirts.
"Jane?" The child met her eyes.
"Red," she stated clearly. Cordelia looked back over the clothes. Pastels, mainly.
"We're not gonna find anything here, sweetie. Let's go spend Angel's money somewhere nice and expensive," she grinned at the girl. Jane gave an answering shy smile, and placed her small hand in Cordy's, without prompting. Squeezing it, Cordy strolled towards the red section of the new store.
*~*~*~*~*~*
"Hamburgers," Cordelia sang out. Angel looked puzzled, as he stepped out of the office, to see Jane helping Cordy carry large numbers of bags inside.
"What?"
"Hamburgers. Add it to the likes list," the ex-cheerleader explained, as if it was perfectly clear what she had meant.
He scowled.
"The likes list is dead. And buried," he added, for dramatic effect. She put her hands on her hips.
"I left the likes list for a couple of hours! What did you do to it?"
"He burnt it," Connor supplied cheerfully, walking out of the kitchen. "Got it stuck to his hands, so he burnt it." She frowned.
"Angel, did I or did I not tell you that post -its are reasonable things, and useful? You do NOT burn my likes list!"
"They are not," he argued back defensively, ignoring the pointlessness, and utter ridiculousness of the situation. "They're evil."
Cordelia raised an eyebrow.
"Uh huh."
"They are!" he repeated, plaintively. Cordelia merely walked away, picking up a pair of bags, and ascending the stairs.
"Post-it's are evil!" he cried. Gunn patted him on the shoulder.
"You lost, big guy." Angel looked at Jane, who was giggling.
"Hey! Don't you get in on the act too!" he told her, which increased the volume of her laughter. He smiled.
"What did you and Cordy buy?" he queried. She took on a solemn look.
"I'm s'posed to tell you that at least five outfits are absolutely neca..ness.necessary for a girl's so..so-shull standing," she finished triumphantly.
Angel rolled his eyes, but kept his smile.
"Oh they are, are they?"
"Yes," Jane nodded decisively.
"What are you two grinning at?" Cordy asked, mock sighing. Angel pointed at Jane, and she, catching on, pointed at him.
"He did it," she announced, with a smile. Cordelia raised another brow.
"So. Burning innocent post-its, and making people grin. Angelus is making a return," she said, and then gave a wicked grin. "The leather pants unfortunately haven't made a come back."
"No. They decided since the post-its arrival, they were out evil-ed, and sacrificed themselves," Angel answered. Gunn and Connor looked at Jane.
"C'mon, kid. You want to get out if here before it gets mushy," Angel heard Gunn tell Jane, as the two males bore her away, and Cordy descended with a smile.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*