Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Just borrowing them…
Summary: 5 years into the future (after season 4), Angel Investigations have settled into the Wolfram and Hart building and the usual ups and downs of helping the hopeless. However, the sudden reappearance of some familiar faces turn their world upside down once again and learn not to judge someone until they have seen their true colours.
Chapter 2
Connor sat by his mother's bed.
"I know it's shock, baby." Darla whispered soothingly.
Connor nodded and smiled a little. "I'll get over it. I just… I can't believe you're really here."
Angel hovered awkwardly behind Connor. "I think we should let her get some rest."
Connor stood up reluctantly. "I'll see you later."
"Bye Connor." Darla sighed as Angel and Connor left the room.
*~*
Angel entered the lounge to find a very wide-eyed Doyle sitting motionless on one couch and an annoyed looking Cordy sitting on another.
"Is something wrong?" Angel ventured to ask.
Doyle didn't move.
"He's 'in shock'." Cordy replied.
Angel nodded slowly. "Right… so you filled him in on everything then?"
"Yup."
Angel stepped in front of Doyle. "Should I get him some water? He looks a bit…"
"Off? Yeah. He's been like that for a while now. Don't worry, he'll snap out of it."
"Right." Angel nodded.
"So… where's Darla?"
"Sleeping. Uh, Connor knows."
Cordy sat up. "What did he say?"
"Not much. He's just a bit shocked."
"Understandably." Cordy turned her attention back to the T.V. "So now what? What do we do from here?"
"I'm not sure." Angel sat down next to Cordy. "We'll just have to see."
*~*
"It's open." A voice replied from inside the office.
Angel opened the door and stepped in. "I need to talk to you."
"What about?" The man behind the desk asked.
"Darla."
"What about her?" The man looked down.
"She's back."
"Again?"
"Again." Angel confirmed. "I just thought you'd like to know. Since you…"
"I know. How is she?"
"OK. A bit tired. Starved…."
"Starved?"
"She wasn't liking the idea of being back."
"So she's not a vampire then?"
"No. She's human." Angel frowned with concern. "Are you OK?"
The man didn't answer.
"Lindsey?"
Lindsey breathed in deeply. "I'm fine… can I see her?"
"Yeah. But later. She's still… fragile."
Lindsey nodded understandingly. "Could you tell her I… I said get well soon?"
"Sure." Angel sighed uncertainly and left the room. Was it a good idea telling him? He'd find out anyway… It was only fair… Right?
*~*
Darla picked up her glass and took a small sip from it. She heard the front door open and close.
Angel walked in behind her and put his hands on her shoulders. "How are you feeling?"
"Not bad." Darla sighed. "You don't need to keep tabs on me you know. I won't be going anywhere."
"I know. I just want to look after you."
Darla laughed softly.
"Um… I talked to Lindsey."
"He's here?" Darla's eyes widened.
"Yeah. He's back. He says get well soon."
"OK." Darla nodded and sat back in her chair.
"He wants to see you."
Darla didn't answer.
"Darla?"
"Sure, that's fine."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah… Just… not right now."
"OK." Angel sat down in a chair opposite her. "You look tired. Did you get any sleep?"
"Not really. I just… I couldn't."
Angel sighed heavily.
"Stop worrying."
"I'm not." Angel insisted.
"Yes you are. I can tell." Darla smiled. "150 years, Angel. I think I'd know."
Angel chuckled. "Yeah."
"Can you do me a favour?"
"Anything."
"Will… will you hold me tonight?"
Angel swallowed. "I… have to work."
Darla looked down at the table. "Oh… That's OK."
"Tomorrow." Angel promised.
Darla nodded and smiled at him awkwardly. "Thanks."
*~*
Lindsey shifted a large pile of paper from his desk into the waste paper basket on the floor at his feet. Fighting evil has its ups and downs. Up is that you get a certain satisfaction from it, knowing that you may have saved a life or two. The down is that you have very little time left for anything else. Playing the guitar is one thing he isn't able to do as much as he did before. He often thought about why he had come back. After all, he had promised himself never to return again. But Wolfram and Hart now had a new purpose: save those that need saving and fight whatever evil is thrown in their way. Now he has a purpose too… right?
"Stupid thing." Lindsey growled as a bundle of paper refused to fit in the tiny basket.
"Ah, Mr. McDonald." A teasing voice laughed.
Lindsey looked up to find the apparition of Lilah Morgan standing in front of his desk.
"Lilah." He greeted. "How's hell treating you?"
Lilah laughed. "Not bad. Food's better than it was here."
Lindsey laughed with her. "So… what brings you up to the land of the living then?"
"Can't I just visit my favourite lawyer?" Lilah smirked.
"What's the reason?"
"Hell got boring. I might just…" She wandered over to the squishy armchair that stood in one corner of Lindsey's office. "Stick around for a while." She dropped into the armchair and looked over.
Lindsey shrugged and stood up. "Well, make yourself comfortable. I'm going home."
Lilah watched as Lindsey tugged the door shut behind him. "Someone's unsociable…"
*~*
Doyle frowned as he shifted through a large file. "Are you sure this is the guy?"
Cordy sighed loudly. "Yes, I'm sure."
"He's a gardener."
"So?"
"Gardeners can't do stuff like that."
"Why not?"
"They're… they're nice. And friendly. You know I meet a gardener once…"
"He deals in drugs and other poisonous magical substances." Cordy cut in and gave him a 'duh' look.
"When do we go and kill him?"
"We're not going to kill him. We're going find out where he keeps his stash of… stuff."
"You know, it was a lot easier in the old days. When we'd just kill anything evil."
Cordy rolled her eyes. "This isn't the old days."
"I know. Things have changed. It's different world now. Blah, blah, blah."
"Yeah… Just without the blah bit. We do things differently. We have the facilities, so we use them."
"Right. Like your high tech labs and super clever computers that find stuff without you even being there."
"We use those properly."
"Really?" Doyle eyed her suspiciously.
"OK. So maybe I've used them to my advantage. Just once or twice. So what?"
"Once or twice? And to do what?"
"To catch the post-Christmas sales."
Doyle laughed and shook his head. "Right."
"What? Its only once a year."
"How many times did you say…?"
*~*
Angel pulled his broad sword from its place in the cabinet. Another night of killing and saving peoples lives. Redemption can be a drag sometimes. Still, it brings him a tiny step closer to his goal. That's what matters… right?
Maybe there's more to life then redemption. Like… having fun, partying… love?
Angel shook his head. Now is not the time to be thinking about that.
"Alright! Let's go."
Angel turned around to see Doyle standing with a tiny stake and an axe. "What?"
"Let's go. Save some people and all that."
"I thought you were going to do some research with Cordy." Angel started to make his way out.
"I was. Let's just say it was a… difference in opinion."
"You had an argument, didn't you?"
Doyle shrugged his shoulders. "I'd call it a slight disagreement."
"Did she throw you out?"
"Oh yeah. Nearly called security."
Angel chuckled.
"C'mon! We're wasting time!" Doyle pretended to do some kung-fu moves… but failed hopelessly.
"I'm going alone."
"Say what?"
"I'm going a-."
A piercing scream from upstairs made Angel stop.
"Darla…" Angel charged up the stair with Doyle close on his heels. He reached the landing and pushed open the first door on the left.
To Be Continued…