I know it's been awhile, but I am a busy girl. Well, here goes my latest chapter, hope you like it! Mainly A/F and C/G friendship. And it's a longer chapter, so I hope that helps. I think this is my longest chapter yet! Now that's a feat in itself!

IN THE SEWERS

" Angel?" Fred tried again to tell Angel to slow down because she wasn't as fast as the vampire, but it seemed that he had other things on his mind.

Angel just couldn't come up with a good enough excuse to tell Cordelia.

" ANGEL!" This time Fred said his name loud enough to stop him in his tracks. Angel almost forgot that he dragged Fred with him to Caritas. Too many ideas and lies in his head to really pay attention to the girl.

" Angel," Fred asked slowly as if talking to a child. " Why did you bring me with you? Why not Wesley or Gunn?" Fred already knew the vampires feelings for the seer, but thought it would be easier if he could say them out loud. And she already had an idea as to what the vampire was day dreaming about. The thought itself brough color to her cheeks. But it was just an idea, she REALLY didn't want to go into vivid images. She was still confused as to why he brought her along.

Angel looked at the pylean refugee and knew he couldn't keep his feelings bottled up inside. He leaned against the sewer walls and hung his head. He was going to tell her when he got to Caritas, but for his sanity he would confess his inner most feelings in the sewer tunnels of L.A.

" It's about Cordelia isn't it?" Fred asked already knowing the answer.

Angel looked up to her face and saw compassion and understanding. He had no doubt that Fred was the smartest person in the whole group. He gave her a shaky smile as an answer.

" Do you think she knows? Does she know that she's always on my mind? I mean, I think it's pretty obvious!" Angel looked to Fred as if she held all the answers to his problem.

" Well, you both are thick headed. So, I guess that's one reason." She tried to lighten the mood a little and it seemed to work. Angel let out a small chuckle.

" I just.... I wish I could tell her and get it over with. Consequences be damned! But then...." He shook his head and let out a sigh " I'm not sure I can handle being rejected, especially from her."

Fred wasn't blind and neither were Wesley and Gunn. They all knew Cordelia shared that same devotion and love to the vampire. But it wasn't Fred's place to tell Angel. He had to hear it from the one person that drove him to the brink of insanity.

" Angel, you owe it to Cordy to tell her. Even if you get the answer that weren't hoping for. Do you want to live your life not knowing what could have happened." Fred questioned the vampire.

Angel thought about the question. Should he never say anything and go on being best friends and never really knowing how Cordelia felt or tell her. If she didn't feel the same way at least he would know and go on living.

Angel already knew the answer to the question.

" I know, I know. I'll tell her, but can you help me?" He asked. He sounded like a child who needed help wit his homework. " I mean, I've never really been good with women. You could give me advice on how to tell her or where." He was eagerly nodding his head to the idea, hoping she would help him.

Fred just smiled at him and nodded. " I'll do whatever I can to help. You can trust me Angel." Even though she still had a crush on him she what do whatever she could to make him happy.

Angel let out a sigh of relief. " Thanks Fred. I REALLY appreciate it. Oh, but don't tell the others, OK?"

Fred nodded her answer again. Even though everyone else, except Cordelia, knew about Angel's feelings. But to please him, she wouldn't say a word. Angel happily grabbed her hand and started leading them to Caritas once again.

' Don't tell anyone Fred! Well.... Maybe Lorne, he's probably more in touch with his feminine side than I am. Yay, a partner in crime! I mean , do you call it a crime if your telling someone elses secret to someone else when that someone told you not to tell anyone else? Oh, well.' Fred happily rambled on in her thoughts while following Angel to Caritas.

AT A DINER

Cordelia and Gunn sat in a corner booth in the diner looking over their menus.

Cordelia felt absolutely ravenous. She didn't eat anything all day. Gunn was paying so she was gonna make sure she got her money's worth. Her mouth was already drooling at the idea of a double cheeseburger with EVERYTHING on it.

Gunn wasn't paying too much attention to his menu. Instead he was thinking of ways to bring up the topic of Cordelia and Angel. He didn't want to make it to obvious. Gunn was blind at the hunger stare Cordelia was throwing to her menu.

The waitress came over to the booth and asked for their orders.

" Ok, Can I get double cheeseburgers with EVERYTHING on it.." she especially stressed the word everything. " An order of chili and cheese fries, a large Pepsi and for dessert..." She quickly glanced at the menu in case she wanted soemthing else. " Can I get a banana split with fudge, whipped cream, chocolate sauce, and lots of cherries and peanuts. Oh, and a Strawberry Banana Milkshake with whipped cream and a cherry." Cordelia finished her order with dreamy sigh while Gunn, was looking at her in utter astonishment. He could already feel his wallet get lighter.

" How about a salad and a glass of water." He wasn't sure his wallet could handle anymore abuse.

Cordelia looked at Gunn in shock. " That's all you're going to eat?" She asked the street kid. Gunn didn't think he could afford his regular order now. He made a mental note. Whenever you take Cordelia anywhere make sure you have your credit card with you or enough money for five people to eat a diner.

" I'm not that hungry." He easily lied.

" O.K." Was Cordelia's only reply.

" Um, Cordy?" Gunn hesitantly asked.

Cordelia was surprised at how Gunn seemed so interested in the table. Especially his tone of voice. She didn't think she ever heard that tone from him. Gunn usually kept his feelings to himself. It seemed like he was going to make a breakthrough with her. So, she gave him her full attention.

" What is it Gunn? Is something wrong?" She asked in confused voice.

" Um, well..." Trying to get his thoughts in order. " What do you think of the idea of a co-worker dating another co-worker?" He asked.

OH, she got it. Cordelia did notice the glances Gunn through at the ex pylean. She thought they would make a cute couple. Fred did seem to fancy Gunn, I mean who wouldn't? Well, if he was asking for her advice she give him the best she could dish out to help her friend. She didn't know Gunn's question was supposed to be regarding her and Angel though.

" Well, I think that if one co-worker liked another co-worker than that co- worker should go for it. I think they would be happy with the answer they get." She replied in up most confidence.

Gunn didn't think Cordelia followed. He was more of going to the problem straight on instead of circling around it.

" So you think you should tell Angel how you feel about him.?" Gunn could have swore that the windows rattled when Cordelia responded with a loud WHAT.

" Me and Angel?" Was all Cordelia could muster up. ' How could he know? No one's supposed to one? But if he know's then Angel know's! Oh my God! He KNOWS! What am I going to do? How am I going to face him? He's probably thinking how I could feel this way towards him when he's still in love with Buffy!' Cordelia was silently freaking out in her head.

Gunn, sensing her dilemma, tried to calm her down.

" Hey, don't worry I mean it's pretty obvious to everyone except him." He leaned over and put his hand over hers, offering her some kind of comfort.

She marginally calmed down and started taking deep breaths.

One idea did hit her though.

" What do you mean everyone else knows?" Cordelia though she kept her feelings for Angel under wraps. She didn't think anyone noticed anything.

If Gunn could strangle this woman, he would. She was absolutely blind to everything. To Angel's feelings and the way she acts around him.

" Hey Barbie, not everyone is blind. Well, maybe except for the vamp and you see that's the problem. Sometimes you flirt with him and I don't think you even know that you're doing it half the time. You're seriously giving out mixed signals here. It's driving him crazy as well as us!" Gunn finally laid it out for her.

" What do you mean it drives Angel crazy? He doesn't seem like more of a dork than he already is." Cordelia cluelessly asked.

Any minute now Gunn was going to just jump over, put his large hands around her neck and just strangle her till she turned blue in the face. ' She seriously is blind if she doesn't notice the way acts around her. I guess love is blind ' Gunn thought to himself. He also knew that he couldn't blurt out the vampire's feelings. That was Angel's job not his.

" Well tell him how you feel. How hard is that?" Gunn gently asked.

" How hard? HOW HARD! One, I don't want to hear him say that he doesn't love me, that alone would rip out my heart. Two, he could tell me how he's still in love with Buffy, a BLONDE! I've had it with blonde's! Nothing but ditzy whiny trouble makers!" She said with utter disguist. She huffed and folded her arms over her chest as a defensive move.

" What if he tells you he love's you too?" Gunn tried again to let her see what she kept looking away from.

Those words physically pulled at her heart, but in a good way. Cordelia wasn't sure if she was ready to let some one in her heart again even if it was Angel. She could the pain of the visions, but not the pain of a broken heart. She looked down to her stomack remembering what that kind of love did to her.

Gunn knew about the scar on her stomach. He heard about it one day when Angel and Wesley were talking about Sunnydale. How that topic came up, he couldn't remember. But when he heard the story about Cordelia and her old boyfriend Xander, he had the urge to just drive over to Sunnydale and beat the hell out of him. He could understand how Cordelia would be hesitant to tell Angel how she felt.

" Does he love me? Do you know?" Cordelia asked in the barest of whispers that Gunn had to literally lean over to hear her.

He couldn't tell her. How it wasn't obvious to her he will never know.

" I don't know." He lied " But that's why you have to come clean with your feelings. You never know what might happen. And the Cordy I know never backed down from a challenge." He smiled to her hoping he got some kind of reponse.

Luckily, he was graced with one of her beautiful smiles that always managed to take his breath away and give her a cheesy smile back.

" Soon, Gunn, soon." Was the only answer Gunn got from her.

At that moment the food finally came and was placed in front of its respectable owners.

' Sorry Barbie, but that's not good enough. I guess it's time for me to play a part in this little future romance in the works. But I promise you won't get hurt. I mean, I'll probably get hurt in the process from you beating me when you find out what I have in store, but it'll be worth it.' Gunn made a mental deal with himself while he watched Cordelia happily scarf down all the contents on the table.

' Or maybe I'll take her to a pie eating contest so she can pay me back for this meal when she inhales all those pies. And I have no doubt the woman can THAT contest.'

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