A/N- "Exchange Rate" won the "Desired" Judges Award in Round 5 of the Shadows & Dust Awards!!!
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Chapter 14
Angel had slept fitfully for a few hours and was now deliberating how to go about the rest of the day. He absolutely could *not* spend the afternoon talking beauty with Codelia, much less relive the dreaded feminine hygiene conversation Tara had given him earlier. At least Tara had been gentle, having delicately but thoroughly explained what was happening and then setting several items on the counter in the bathroom and suggesting that Angel "read the instructions" and "use his best judgment" before leaving him alone.
There was no way Cordelia was going to be so delicate.
This situation called for intervention. Angel quickly and quietly dressed. He sat at Buffy's vanity and swept her hair up into a low ponytail as before. He quickly decided that no matter what Cordelia said, he was not going to do any of that makeup stuff. Angel stood and crept silently to the door. He slowly cracked open the door to the bedroom, jumping and shushing it when it gave an objecting creak. Quieting his racing pulse, he quickly scanned the hall to check for Cordy. He listened carefully at the top of the stair, trying to ascertain her exact where abouts.
Not hearing Cordelia's voice, he slowly and deliberately crept down the stairs, every one of his muscles ready to sprint back upstairs, should Cordy enter his vicinity. Having reached the bottom, he again listened for her voice. Living room, she was in the living room discussing money with Anya.
Using every bit of stealth he could muster, Angel slipped around the corner of the stairwell, into the dining room. Pressing his body flush against the paneling and freezing to see if Cordy had spotted him.
"Hey Angel." Xander said coming up from the kitchen.
Angel quickly sprang to action. Clamping a hand over Xanders mouth and silently shushing him with the other. Xander effected a confused look but made no further noise.
"Cordy..." Angel whispered by way of explanation.
Xander nodded affirmatively and whispered back, "Been there myself man."
Angel simply rolled his eyes. "You haven't seen me! Got it?"
Xander again nodded, putting a sympathetic hand on Angel's shoulder.
"Good luck and God speed." he said before disappearing around the corner.
Angel took up his stealthy movement heading towards the kitchen, carefully listening for Cordelia's approaching voice. He slowly made his way into the kitchen, holding his fingers to his lips to ensure everyone in the room understood to stay quiet. Giles, Buffy, Spike, and Willow all looked questioningly at him.
"Just continue like I'm not here." Angel whispered. He then made his way quietly around the kitchen attempting to find something to sate his ravening appetite. All conversation had ceased as the group watched in fascination as Angel set about making himself breakfast with a delicacy usually reserved for defusing bombs. As Angel stood at the island cutting potato with complete silence, Cordy suddenly could be heard coming toward the kitchen. Angel looked around with sheer panic and finding nowhere to hide, he dropped to the floor behind the counter as Cordy entered the room.
"I think I should go wake Angel." she said making her way up to the counter on the opposite side of Angel. Everyone in the room turned questioning eyes from Angel cowering on the floor, to Cordelia rambling away.
"I mean, we kind of made plans for the evening and we really should get started while the mall is still open." Cordelia said, coming around the side of the counter to head for the sink.
Angel heard her moving and scrambled around the side of the island, four eyes curiously watching the display.
"I mean, you can usually get the sales clerks to bargain just before closing." Cordelia said as she pulled a glass from the cabinet above the sink, them she turned toward the refrigerator. "We still have orange juice left?" Cordelia asked. The group of four just looked at her blankly, so she shrugged her shoulders and went to the fridge and opened it.
Angel quickly deduced her intended destination and skidded around to the hall side of the counter before Cordy could spot him. Again, four sets of eye noted his maneuvers with growing confusion.
"And besides, a quality makeover takes time. I don't want to rush them." Cordelia said as she pulled out the orange juice and quickly poured herself a glass before putting it back.
"I mean, granted...when you're on your period isn't the best time to experiment with new makeup, but he really looked kind of ragged earlier. I can't just leave him looking that way no can I?" Cordelia said as she moved around the island and headed toward the stairs. Again, Angel scrambling around the counter to fend off detection.
As the sound of Cordelia tromping up the stairs, Angel let out a long sigh of relief. Taking note that everyone was staring at him.
"What?" Angel asked confusedly.
"*That* is what you all couldn't tell me?" Buffy asked everyone, looking pointedly around. "What are you guys? 12 year olds?"
"Buffy, we were simply being sensitive to Angel's predicament at the moment." Giles defended himself, still managing to blush at the discussion topic.
"Spike laughed at him!" Willow quickly fished.
"Hey! Bloody traitor..." Spike pouted. "Don't listen to 'em Slayer. If it hadn't been for me, they wouldn't have know what was going on and left soulboy to figure it out on his own."
"Oh for the love of... wait a minute. Spike, how did you figure it out anyway?" Buffy asked.
Spike sputtered a few incoherent syllables before he stopped and clamped his mouth shut and looked squarely at Buffy, "Vampire" he said as he touched his nose, sending a daring smirk her way. Then seeing Angels face so contorted in embarrassed shock, he shook his head a couple time. "this is getting too bloody weird" and headed out the back door.
At that moment, Cordelia came back down the stairs calling out as she descended, "Hey, has anybody seen Angel? He isn't upstairs."
Angel's eye widened to comedic proportions as he tried to figure out how to escape the impending disaster. He could probably make it to the basement door, but chances were she would eventually check down there, and with only one entrance she would have him cornered. If he bolted for the hall or dining room, he chanced running into her if he mistook which direction she was coming. That left either the back door or trying to squeeze Buffy's body into the cabinets. He quickly assessed that he would have enough time to squeeze so run it was.
"Buffy! You, me, patrol, NOW!" Angel said as he grabbed Buffy's arm and slid out the door just as Cordelia came around from the hall.
"Huh, who was that?" Cordelia inquired after the slamming door, the curtains waving back and forth slightly.
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TBC.....
Ok, you know what to do! Review!!
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Chapter 14
Angel had slept fitfully for a few hours and was now deliberating how to go about the rest of the day. He absolutely could *not* spend the afternoon talking beauty with Codelia, much less relive the dreaded feminine hygiene conversation Tara had given him earlier. At least Tara had been gentle, having delicately but thoroughly explained what was happening and then setting several items on the counter in the bathroom and suggesting that Angel "read the instructions" and "use his best judgment" before leaving him alone.
There was no way Cordelia was going to be so delicate.
This situation called for intervention. Angel quickly and quietly dressed. He sat at Buffy's vanity and swept her hair up into a low ponytail as before. He quickly decided that no matter what Cordelia said, he was not going to do any of that makeup stuff. Angel stood and crept silently to the door. He slowly cracked open the door to the bedroom, jumping and shushing it when it gave an objecting creak. Quieting his racing pulse, he quickly scanned the hall to check for Cordy. He listened carefully at the top of the stair, trying to ascertain her exact where abouts.
Not hearing Cordelia's voice, he slowly and deliberately crept down the stairs, every one of his muscles ready to sprint back upstairs, should Cordy enter his vicinity. Having reached the bottom, he again listened for her voice. Living room, she was in the living room discussing money with Anya.
Using every bit of stealth he could muster, Angel slipped around the corner of the stairwell, into the dining room. Pressing his body flush against the paneling and freezing to see if Cordy had spotted him.
"Hey Angel." Xander said coming up from the kitchen.
Angel quickly sprang to action. Clamping a hand over Xanders mouth and silently shushing him with the other. Xander effected a confused look but made no further noise.
"Cordy..." Angel whispered by way of explanation.
Xander nodded affirmatively and whispered back, "Been there myself man."
Angel simply rolled his eyes. "You haven't seen me! Got it?"
Xander again nodded, putting a sympathetic hand on Angel's shoulder.
"Good luck and God speed." he said before disappearing around the corner.
Angel took up his stealthy movement heading towards the kitchen, carefully listening for Cordelia's approaching voice. He slowly made his way into the kitchen, holding his fingers to his lips to ensure everyone in the room understood to stay quiet. Giles, Buffy, Spike, and Willow all looked questioningly at him.
"Just continue like I'm not here." Angel whispered. He then made his way quietly around the kitchen attempting to find something to sate his ravening appetite. All conversation had ceased as the group watched in fascination as Angel set about making himself breakfast with a delicacy usually reserved for defusing bombs. As Angel stood at the island cutting potato with complete silence, Cordy suddenly could be heard coming toward the kitchen. Angel looked around with sheer panic and finding nowhere to hide, he dropped to the floor behind the counter as Cordy entered the room.
"I think I should go wake Angel." she said making her way up to the counter on the opposite side of Angel. Everyone in the room turned questioning eyes from Angel cowering on the floor, to Cordelia rambling away.
"I mean, we kind of made plans for the evening and we really should get started while the mall is still open." Cordelia said, coming around the side of the counter to head for the sink.
Angel heard her moving and scrambled around the side of the island, four eyes curiously watching the display.
"I mean, you can usually get the sales clerks to bargain just before closing." Cordelia said as she pulled a glass from the cabinet above the sink, them she turned toward the refrigerator. "We still have orange juice left?" Cordelia asked. The group of four just looked at her blankly, so she shrugged her shoulders and went to the fridge and opened it.
Angel quickly deduced her intended destination and skidded around to the hall side of the counter before Cordy could spot him. Again, four sets of eye noted his maneuvers with growing confusion.
"And besides, a quality makeover takes time. I don't want to rush them." Cordelia said as she pulled out the orange juice and quickly poured herself a glass before putting it back.
"I mean, granted...when you're on your period isn't the best time to experiment with new makeup, but he really looked kind of ragged earlier. I can't just leave him looking that way no can I?" Cordelia said as she moved around the island and headed toward the stairs. Again, Angel scrambling around the counter to fend off detection.
As the sound of Cordelia tromping up the stairs, Angel let out a long sigh of relief. Taking note that everyone was staring at him.
"What?" Angel asked confusedly.
"*That* is what you all couldn't tell me?" Buffy asked everyone, looking pointedly around. "What are you guys? 12 year olds?"
"Buffy, we were simply being sensitive to Angel's predicament at the moment." Giles defended himself, still managing to blush at the discussion topic.
"Spike laughed at him!" Willow quickly fished.
"Hey! Bloody traitor..." Spike pouted. "Don't listen to 'em Slayer. If it hadn't been for me, they wouldn't have know what was going on and left soulboy to figure it out on his own."
"Oh for the love of... wait a minute. Spike, how did you figure it out anyway?" Buffy asked.
Spike sputtered a few incoherent syllables before he stopped and clamped his mouth shut and looked squarely at Buffy, "Vampire" he said as he touched his nose, sending a daring smirk her way. Then seeing Angels face so contorted in embarrassed shock, he shook his head a couple time. "this is getting too bloody weird" and headed out the back door.
At that moment, Cordelia came back down the stairs calling out as she descended, "Hey, has anybody seen Angel? He isn't upstairs."
Angel's eye widened to comedic proportions as he tried to figure out how to escape the impending disaster. He could probably make it to the basement door, but chances were she would eventually check down there, and with only one entrance she would have him cornered. If he bolted for the hall or dining room, he chanced running into her if he mistook which direction she was coming. That left either the back door or trying to squeeze Buffy's body into the cabinets. He quickly assessed that he would have enough time to squeeze so run it was.
"Buffy! You, me, patrol, NOW!" Angel said as he grabbed Buffy's arm and slid out the door just as Cordelia came around from the hall.
"Huh, who was that?" Cordelia inquired after the slamming door, the curtains waving back and forth slightly.
**********
TBC.....
Ok, you know what to do! Review!!