Part 6 – The Intervention
"Xander, stop dragging me, I am coming." Cordelia said, as Xander pulled her into the library. She didn't know what was so urgent he had to pull her out of History class, but this caveman attitude was not going to get him very far in her book. But it is okay if a certain vampire slings me over his shoulder like a caveman, Cordelia's mind answered back.
Sitting at the main table were Willow and Oz, and standing to the left of them, looking very disappointed was Giles. Buffy was no where to be seen. Cordelia took in the look on their faces. They know.
Xander moved over to the table and stood next to Willow. He folded his arms over his chest and left Cordy standing in front of them, facing the jury.
"Care to share with us what your adventure in the cemetery last night was all about, Cordelia." Xander said coldly, since they had started dating he rarely called her by her full name.
Cordelia looked around at the Scoobies, she was not going to lie to them, and didn't like this confrontation routine that was taking place. "Following up on a lead regarding the Glove of Calgon" Not the entire truth, but not a lie.
"Mynhegon, Cordelia." Giles corrected her automatically. The girl was in very deep and he wasn't sure how she had gotten there, but knew he needed to help her get out. Giles took his glasses off his face and absently rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"So when did you become Angelus' lackey Cordelia?" Xander blurted out. He was so mad that steam could have been coming out of his ears.
"I am nobody's Lackey Xander Harris." Cordelia shouted yet, she had a feeling the insults were just starting.
"Cordelia, Xander saw you with Angel last night at the cemetery." Willow broke in, this was not supposed to be a shouting session. "Xander we agreed there would be no name calling." Willow chastised Xander.
"Angelus, Willow." Xander said pacing behind the table. "Sit down Cordelia."
Cordelia decided to sit, it was time they heard what was going on. The only thing that she was glad about was that the Slayer was not here. She didn't think she could stomach the thought of Buffy hearing that Angel was back and taking off toward the mansion.
"No Xander, Willow is right, it is Angel and not Angelus." Cordelia said quietly. She looked around at the group and felt their disappointment in her on their faces.
"Yeah right, sure, you wouldn't be kissing Angel, it has to be Angelus, and he has you under this thrall. I can't believe you are under this thrall Cordelia, why else would you help a cold blooded killer like Deadboy." Xander said heatedly.
"I am not under Angel's thrall, Xander. And I was just excited that we had found the Glove you all wanted so badly." Cordelia responded, at least she didn't think that she was under it.
"So that is why you took him back to the Mansion and stayed with him?" Xander asked coldly.
"Are you spying on me Xander?" Cordelia asked, a bit off topic, but irked that he was following her.
"I guess I was just worried that you were under the control of an evil killer, and thought that you might need protection. Didn't realize you were going to be having a slumber party." Xander shouted back, having followed them back to the Mansion last night before going to Giles, and seen them both enter the house, and then noticing that Cordy's car was still there this morning when he went past on his way to school.
"We weren't having a slumber party; I have been taking care of him, and he is not evil honest to god." Cordelia had a feeling that this was going to be a long discussion, and they were going to get it all out of her, she was not going to tell them that she was sharing a bed with the vampire, she was pretty sure Xander would stake Angel first and ask questions later.
"Cordelia, how long have you been caring for Angel, when did he return?" Giles asked, wondering how long the girl had been protecting the vampire.
"Since the end of September. I hit him with my car." Cordelia said, it was odd that it was now almost Thanksgiving, and she had been with Angel for that many weeks.
"And you didn't think it was important to tell us Cordelia? Angelus is dangerous at best and an insane killer the rest of the time. That he hasn't killed you or turned you is that he has bigger plans for you." Giles stated, he was now in agreement with Xander, that perhaps Cordelia was under Angelus' thrall.
"Jeez, how many times do I have to tell you it is Angel, and not Angelus, he has his soul Giles." Cordelia stood up and put her hand on her hips.
"Pfft...He is conning you Cordelia" Xander disgusted.
"Xander it could be Angel, I think that my spell worked, and you remember what Buffy said about the last few minutes before she stabbed Angel and sent him ito the vortex." Willow interjected.
Oz was watching the ping-pong discussion, taking it all in and wondering if his friends were going to recover from this little revelation. He decided that he was not going to interject any words are just yet.
"Look, I don't know how he came back but he was weak and crazed with hunger, but he didn't attack me when I first found him. I took him back to the mansion, fed him and then took care of him until he was less insane, and realized he was no longer in the Hell dimension that Buffy sent him too." Cordelia said quickly, she did not need to defend her actions, she had done the right thing.
"So you let him feed off of you Cordelia, I can't believe you sunk that low." Xander was so mad that he had little control over the words coming out of his mouth.
"Yuck...no...gross...I went to the blood bank and got him blood to feed on." Duh, this is getting tiresome. "Look Angel is just not ready to deal with all you guys, and now that I have seen your reaction to him being back, I can so see why." Cordelia said looking around, ready to be done with this conversation.
"What do you mean Angel is not ready to deal, Cordelia?" Buffy said having walked into the library in time to hear the reference to Angel but not much else of the conversation. She took in the scene before her and saw sadness on Willow's face, disgust on Xander's face and Giles look of concern.
Cordelia spun around and saw Buffy standing there, looking confused.
"Looks like Angelus is back in town, Buff, and our dear sweet Cordelia has been harboring the bastard." Xander said, he could not believe that Cordelia had been lying to him, all of them for the past 6 weeks.
"What?!" Buffy said shocked.
"Damn it Xander he is not Angelus it is Angel!" Cordelia was so tired of him calling Angel by that monster's name.
"Angel? Where? When?" Buffy said, looking at Cordelia for answers.
"End of September, came back from Hell, weak and hurt, I nursed him back to sanity, and he just hasn't been ready to deal with everyone yet." Cordy said for what seemed to be the thousandth time.
"Why didn't you tell us? Me?" Buffy said dumbfounded, Angel is back.
"He wasn't ready yet to face all of you, and based on the reception I just received, I guess he was right."
"Where is he now Cordelia?" Buffy asked, her words stilted, still in shock over the words that Angel was back.
"Look when he is ready to see you, he will come to you." Cordy said, not sure she wanted the Slayer running over to the Mansion at that very moment in her current state.
"Where?" Buffy said through gritted teeth.
Cordy thought for a moment and then decided that it was inevitably going to happen, and even if it was not on Angel's terms he was certainly strong enough now to deal with it. They had been keeping secrets too long in her opinion. "The Mansion, on Crawford Street."
Buffy turned and ran from the library. She had to get to Angel.
The group watched the Slayer run from the library; they all knew that she was headed for the Crawford Street Mansion. They also knew that none of them could stop her.
"Why Cordelia, why are you protecting a killer?" Xander asked, having a hard time understanding what she had done or why.
"Because he has a soul, and he needed my help. He needed me, unlike you guys." Cordelia said, proudly.
"Cordy what makes you think we don't need you?" Willow asked, a little taken aback by her words.
"Well let me correct that statement Willow, you guys don't need me unless you need someone to act as bait. Not once has Angel asked me to be bait." Cordelia said sharply.
"Cordy, we don't see you as bait, really, your just good at attracting vampires." Willow said, trying to say the right thing, but knowing that she was just digging her hole deeper.
"Again, I say he has you in his thrall, I am sure of it." Xander argued back.
"Children, enough!" Giles interrupted seeing that the argument was going no where. "Now Cordelia, you said that you and Angel located the Glove of Mynhegon."
"Yes, Angel had a hunch it was in some dead collector's tomb at the Restview Cemetery. We recovered it last night, he has it stored in a trunk at the Mansion." Cordelia said, turning to Giles, grateful to no longer be discussing why she had helped Angel.
"Good, I believe we have found a spell to destroy the glove, living flame, but I don't have all the supplies. Xander, Willow, Oz, if I give you the list of supplies will you go to the magic shop?" It was more of an order than a request. He thought the best thing in the world would be if he separated the teenagers, especially Xander and Cordelia.
"And what is Cordelia's assignment, to go back and baby-sit Deadboy?" Xander still disgusted at what he had just heard.
"No Xander, she needs to go back to class, and she will finish out the school day and then go home." Giles ordered, he thought that distance was important.
"Fine, thank you Giles" Cordelia said, taking that as the cue to her exit to go back to her last class of the day. Then she was going back to her parents' house, who knows how long Buffy would be at the Mansion and she was sure Angel would want to brood alone for a while. Plus she wanted to swim in her pool, and relieve the stress of the day. Cordelia left the library and felt better once she was in the hallway, and away from her angry friends.
...at the Crawford Street Mansion
Angel turned the page of the book – Wuthering Heights, Cordelia had left it on the coffee table and was having a difficult time getting though the sad pages of the book. He had read it before, and for some reason the depressing text no longer interested him. He had a light force in his life now that made him want to celebrate; Cordelia had saved him in more ways than one. The only thing that he wished was that he could give her a real life, one in the sunshine, but that was not possible. With the curse he couldn't even have her body in the intimate why he wanted too, which lately was becoming harder and harder not to do.
The front door slammed open, Angel looked up to see who it was, as Cordelia was a bit more graceful when she entered their home. He was surprised to see that it wasn't Cordy at all, but instead the petite blonde Slayer. He stood, holding the book in front of him, not quite sure how to react to her presence.
"Buffy?" Angel started to walk toward her and the door, but was blocked by a stream of afternoon sunlight that followed her through the open door.
"Angel, is that really you?" Buffy's eyes welling up, not believing that she was actually seeing him again, standing there, real, not just a figure of her imagination.
Angel simply nodded. The last time he had seen the slayer was when she had kissed him and then pushed a sword through his gut and sent him to hell. He had mixed feelings seeing her for the first time.
Buffy ran from the door and through herself into Angel's arms, crying, "Your back, your back."
Angel put his arms around her awkwardly, taken aback by her falling so quickly into his arms..."Buffy" was all he could say as he stroked the back of her head as she sobbed in his arms.
...later at the Bronze
Xander was playing pool by himself, taking out his anger on the cue ball and all the balls that were in his way. How could Cordy hide something like that from all of them? Why would she protect Deadboy, wasn't she part of the club that hates Angelus too.
"You know, if you smash all the balls, you won't be able to play again." Faith said, coming up to Xander at the pool table, feeling the anger roll off the boy in waves.
"Well if you had heard the news I had heard today you would understand why." Xander said, not looking up and taking another shot.
"Well dish, has the Largos' demon shown up yet, and I missed a fight?" Faith asked, moving around the pool table watching Xander take his anger out.
"No, worse, Buffy's ex is back in town." Xander said, looking up at the darker slayer.
"Angel?" Faith said, shocked thinking the vampire was dead.
"Yep, back here in lovely Sunnydale." Xander said
"Well lets find B, she probably will want to join me in staking the bastard." Faith said, ready to go.
"I wouldn't be so sure of that, last time I saw her she had the look in her eyes of a love sick puppy, she is probably cuddling with him right now." Xander told her.
"But he is a killer; he killed Ms Calendar, and so many other innocent people." Faith said, disgusted that Buffy would go back to him.
"You're preaching to the choir, sister." Xander looked at Faith, realizing that she was coming up with a plan.
"Well even if big sis B doesn't know her job, I do, and that is slaying vampires. Up to kill something?" Faith said looking at Xander smiling.
"Well, I know where Giles keeps the key to the weapons locker in the library." Xander said smiling back at Faith. This was the first sensible thing he had heard all day long.
"Lets go Xan Man." Faith said hooking her arm around Xander's and leading him from the Bronze.
...back at the Mansion
Angel pulled away from Buffy, noting that her sobs had subsided somewhat. He pulled her toward the couch and pushed her gently down and then sat on the other side looking at her. "So" Angel said needing to break the silence.
"Why didn't you tell me you were back Angel." Buffy asked, lifting her tear streaked face to the vampire.
"I just got back; I was really disorientated, not at full strength yet." Angel said, not wanting to tell her the truth that he really didn't want to see her.
"Cordelia has been caring for you?" Buffy asked, not believing the words coming out of her mouth.
"She found me the first night." Angel said.
"And she took care of you?" Buffy asked, wondering if something more had developed, in the back of her head remembering the event at the Bronze the other night where Willow thought she saw Cordy kissing some man. Was that some man Angel?
"Yes." Angel felt like he was at a loss for words when he talked with Buffy. It was so much easier talking with Cordy; she made him want to talk.
"So are you feeling better?" Buffy wasn't sure what to ask him, she was still in shock he was back. It felt like they were not boyfriend girlfriend anymore. So much had happened when he was Angelus, and then gone for the summer. How they would get back to where they were was beyond Buffy's comprehension right now.
"Yes, getting stronger everyday." Angel said, standing up and moving in front of the fire place. He was not ready for this conversation or lack of one with the slayer. He wanted Cordy to be here by his side now.
"Well that is good, a good thing." Buffy said awkwardly.
"We found the Glove of Mynhegon." Angel said, tired of small talk.
"Really, how?" Buffy said brightly it was nice the conversation so easily moved to business and away from a serious discussion about their relationship or what was left of it.
"Cordy mentioned that you guys were looking for it, and I remembered that at one point there was a collector who collected this type of object. I had a hunch as to where it was located and we got lucky." Angel said, looking at the slayer sitting on his couch.
"You and Cordelia found it?" Buffy said not believing what she was hearing. Cordelia was only accomplished at being bait, not at solving mysteries.
"Yes we did." He did not like the tone in her voice. "We need to get the ingredients for making living flame that is the one thing that will destroy it. I have the spell, but not everything that is required." Angel said.
"Maybe Giles does, I could go back to the library and get him, and then we can perform the spell, and destroy the glove Angel." Buffy said standing, she too was tired of talking, and not knowing what to say, this was easier.
"That is a good idea." Angel said, relieved that she was leaving, and hopeful Cordelia would be home before Buffy and Giles returned. It was going to be a long night.
"Xander, stop dragging me, I am coming." Cordelia said, as Xander pulled her into the library. She didn't know what was so urgent he had to pull her out of History class, but this caveman attitude was not going to get him very far in her book. But it is okay if a certain vampire slings me over his shoulder like a caveman, Cordelia's mind answered back.
Sitting at the main table were Willow and Oz, and standing to the left of them, looking very disappointed was Giles. Buffy was no where to be seen. Cordelia took in the look on their faces. They know.
Xander moved over to the table and stood next to Willow. He folded his arms over his chest and left Cordy standing in front of them, facing the jury.
"Care to share with us what your adventure in the cemetery last night was all about, Cordelia." Xander said coldly, since they had started dating he rarely called her by her full name.
Cordelia looked around at the Scoobies, she was not going to lie to them, and didn't like this confrontation routine that was taking place. "Following up on a lead regarding the Glove of Calgon" Not the entire truth, but not a lie.
"Mynhegon, Cordelia." Giles corrected her automatically. The girl was in very deep and he wasn't sure how she had gotten there, but knew he needed to help her get out. Giles took his glasses off his face and absently rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"So when did you become Angelus' lackey Cordelia?" Xander blurted out. He was so mad that steam could have been coming out of his ears.
"I am nobody's Lackey Xander Harris." Cordelia shouted yet, she had a feeling the insults were just starting.
"Cordelia, Xander saw you with Angel last night at the cemetery." Willow broke in, this was not supposed to be a shouting session. "Xander we agreed there would be no name calling." Willow chastised Xander.
"Angelus, Willow." Xander said pacing behind the table. "Sit down Cordelia."
Cordelia decided to sit, it was time they heard what was going on. The only thing that she was glad about was that the Slayer was not here. She didn't think she could stomach the thought of Buffy hearing that Angel was back and taking off toward the mansion.
"No Xander, Willow is right, it is Angel and not Angelus." Cordelia said quietly. She looked around at the group and felt their disappointment in her on their faces.
"Yeah right, sure, you wouldn't be kissing Angel, it has to be Angelus, and he has you under this thrall. I can't believe you are under this thrall Cordelia, why else would you help a cold blooded killer like Deadboy." Xander said heatedly.
"I am not under Angel's thrall, Xander. And I was just excited that we had found the Glove you all wanted so badly." Cordelia responded, at least she didn't think that she was under it.
"So that is why you took him back to the Mansion and stayed with him?" Xander asked coldly.
"Are you spying on me Xander?" Cordelia asked, a bit off topic, but irked that he was following her.
"I guess I was just worried that you were under the control of an evil killer, and thought that you might need protection. Didn't realize you were going to be having a slumber party." Xander shouted back, having followed them back to the Mansion last night before going to Giles, and seen them both enter the house, and then noticing that Cordy's car was still there this morning when he went past on his way to school.
"We weren't having a slumber party; I have been taking care of him, and he is not evil honest to god." Cordelia had a feeling that this was going to be a long discussion, and they were going to get it all out of her, she was not going to tell them that she was sharing a bed with the vampire, she was pretty sure Xander would stake Angel first and ask questions later.
"Cordelia, how long have you been caring for Angel, when did he return?" Giles asked, wondering how long the girl had been protecting the vampire.
"Since the end of September. I hit him with my car." Cordelia said, it was odd that it was now almost Thanksgiving, and she had been with Angel for that many weeks.
"And you didn't think it was important to tell us Cordelia? Angelus is dangerous at best and an insane killer the rest of the time. That he hasn't killed you or turned you is that he has bigger plans for you." Giles stated, he was now in agreement with Xander, that perhaps Cordelia was under Angelus' thrall.
"Jeez, how many times do I have to tell you it is Angel, and not Angelus, he has his soul Giles." Cordelia stood up and put her hand on her hips.
"Pfft...He is conning you Cordelia" Xander disgusted.
"Xander it could be Angel, I think that my spell worked, and you remember what Buffy said about the last few minutes before she stabbed Angel and sent him ito the vortex." Willow interjected.
Oz was watching the ping-pong discussion, taking it all in and wondering if his friends were going to recover from this little revelation. He decided that he was not going to interject any words are just yet.
"Look, I don't know how he came back but he was weak and crazed with hunger, but he didn't attack me when I first found him. I took him back to the mansion, fed him and then took care of him until he was less insane, and realized he was no longer in the Hell dimension that Buffy sent him too." Cordelia said quickly, she did not need to defend her actions, she had done the right thing.
"So you let him feed off of you Cordelia, I can't believe you sunk that low." Xander was so mad that he had little control over the words coming out of his mouth.
"Yuck...no...gross...I went to the blood bank and got him blood to feed on." Duh, this is getting tiresome. "Look Angel is just not ready to deal with all you guys, and now that I have seen your reaction to him being back, I can so see why." Cordelia said looking around, ready to be done with this conversation.
"What do you mean Angel is not ready to deal, Cordelia?" Buffy said having walked into the library in time to hear the reference to Angel but not much else of the conversation. She took in the scene before her and saw sadness on Willow's face, disgust on Xander's face and Giles look of concern.
Cordelia spun around and saw Buffy standing there, looking confused.
"Looks like Angelus is back in town, Buff, and our dear sweet Cordelia has been harboring the bastard." Xander said, he could not believe that Cordelia had been lying to him, all of them for the past 6 weeks.
"What?!" Buffy said shocked.
"Damn it Xander he is not Angelus it is Angel!" Cordelia was so tired of him calling Angel by that monster's name.
"Angel? Where? When?" Buffy said, looking at Cordelia for answers.
"End of September, came back from Hell, weak and hurt, I nursed him back to sanity, and he just hasn't been ready to deal with everyone yet." Cordy said for what seemed to be the thousandth time.
"Why didn't you tell us? Me?" Buffy said dumbfounded, Angel is back.
"He wasn't ready yet to face all of you, and based on the reception I just received, I guess he was right."
"Where is he now Cordelia?" Buffy asked, her words stilted, still in shock over the words that Angel was back.
"Look when he is ready to see you, he will come to you." Cordy said, not sure she wanted the Slayer running over to the Mansion at that very moment in her current state.
"Where?" Buffy said through gritted teeth.
Cordy thought for a moment and then decided that it was inevitably going to happen, and even if it was not on Angel's terms he was certainly strong enough now to deal with it. They had been keeping secrets too long in her opinion. "The Mansion, on Crawford Street."
Buffy turned and ran from the library. She had to get to Angel.
The group watched the Slayer run from the library; they all knew that she was headed for the Crawford Street Mansion. They also knew that none of them could stop her.
"Why Cordelia, why are you protecting a killer?" Xander asked, having a hard time understanding what she had done or why.
"Because he has a soul, and he needed my help. He needed me, unlike you guys." Cordelia said, proudly.
"Cordy what makes you think we don't need you?" Willow asked, a little taken aback by her words.
"Well let me correct that statement Willow, you guys don't need me unless you need someone to act as bait. Not once has Angel asked me to be bait." Cordelia said sharply.
"Cordy, we don't see you as bait, really, your just good at attracting vampires." Willow said, trying to say the right thing, but knowing that she was just digging her hole deeper.
"Again, I say he has you in his thrall, I am sure of it." Xander argued back.
"Children, enough!" Giles interrupted seeing that the argument was going no where. "Now Cordelia, you said that you and Angel located the Glove of Mynhegon."
"Yes, Angel had a hunch it was in some dead collector's tomb at the Restview Cemetery. We recovered it last night, he has it stored in a trunk at the Mansion." Cordelia said, turning to Giles, grateful to no longer be discussing why she had helped Angel.
"Good, I believe we have found a spell to destroy the glove, living flame, but I don't have all the supplies. Xander, Willow, Oz, if I give you the list of supplies will you go to the magic shop?" It was more of an order than a request. He thought the best thing in the world would be if he separated the teenagers, especially Xander and Cordelia.
"And what is Cordelia's assignment, to go back and baby-sit Deadboy?" Xander still disgusted at what he had just heard.
"No Xander, she needs to go back to class, and she will finish out the school day and then go home." Giles ordered, he thought that distance was important.
"Fine, thank you Giles" Cordelia said, taking that as the cue to her exit to go back to her last class of the day. Then she was going back to her parents' house, who knows how long Buffy would be at the Mansion and she was sure Angel would want to brood alone for a while. Plus she wanted to swim in her pool, and relieve the stress of the day. Cordelia left the library and felt better once she was in the hallway, and away from her angry friends.
...at the Crawford Street Mansion
Angel turned the page of the book – Wuthering Heights, Cordelia had left it on the coffee table and was having a difficult time getting though the sad pages of the book. He had read it before, and for some reason the depressing text no longer interested him. He had a light force in his life now that made him want to celebrate; Cordelia had saved him in more ways than one. The only thing that he wished was that he could give her a real life, one in the sunshine, but that was not possible. With the curse he couldn't even have her body in the intimate why he wanted too, which lately was becoming harder and harder not to do.
The front door slammed open, Angel looked up to see who it was, as Cordelia was a bit more graceful when she entered their home. He was surprised to see that it wasn't Cordy at all, but instead the petite blonde Slayer. He stood, holding the book in front of him, not quite sure how to react to her presence.
"Buffy?" Angel started to walk toward her and the door, but was blocked by a stream of afternoon sunlight that followed her through the open door.
"Angel, is that really you?" Buffy's eyes welling up, not believing that she was actually seeing him again, standing there, real, not just a figure of her imagination.
Angel simply nodded. The last time he had seen the slayer was when she had kissed him and then pushed a sword through his gut and sent him to hell. He had mixed feelings seeing her for the first time.
Buffy ran from the door and through herself into Angel's arms, crying, "Your back, your back."
Angel put his arms around her awkwardly, taken aback by her falling so quickly into his arms..."Buffy" was all he could say as he stroked the back of her head as she sobbed in his arms.
...later at the Bronze
Xander was playing pool by himself, taking out his anger on the cue ball and all the balls that were in his way. How could Cordy hide something like that from all of them? Why would she protect Deadboy, wasn't she part of the club that hates Angelus too.
"You know, if you smash all the balls, you won't be able to play again." Faith said, coming up to Xander at the pool table, feeling the anger roll off the boy in waves.
"Well if you had heard the news I had heard today you would understand why." Xander said, not looking up and taking another shot.
"Well dish, has the Largos' demon shown up yet, and I missed a fight?" Faith asked, moving around the pool table watching Xander take his anger out.
"No, worse, Buffy's ex is back in town." Xander said, looking up at the darker slayer.
"Angel?" Faith said, shocked thinking the vampire was dead.
"Yep, back here in lovely Sunnydale." Xander said
"Well lets find B, she probably will want to join me in staking the bastard." Faith said, ready to go.
"I wouldn't be so sure of that, last time I saw her she had the look in her eyes of a love sick puppy, she is probably cuddling with him right now." Xander told her.
"But he is a killer; he killed Ms Calendar, and so many other innocent people." Faith said, disgusted that Buffy would go back to him.
"You're preaching to the choir, sister." Xander looked at Faith, realizing that she was coming up with a plan.
"Well even if big sis B doesn't know her job, I do, and that is slaying vampires. Up to kill something?" Faith said looking at Xander smiling.
"Well, I know where Giles keeps the key to the weapons locker in the library." Xander said smiling back at Faith. This was the first sensible thing he had heard all day long.
"Lets go Xan Man." Faith said hooking her arm around Xander's and leading him from the Bronze.
...back at the Mansion
Angel pulled away from Buffy, noting that her sobs had subsided somewhat. He pulled her toward the couch and pushed her gently down and then sat on the other side looking at her. "So" Angel said needing to break the silence.
"Why didn't you tell me you were back Angel." Buffy asked, lifting her tear streaked face to the vampire.
"I just got back; I was really disorientated, not at full strength yet." Angel said, not wanting to tell her the truth that he really didn't want to see her.
"Cordelia has been caring for you?" Buffy asked, not believing the words coming out of her mouth.
"She found me the first night." Angel said.
"And she took care of you?" Buffy asked, wondering if something more had developed, in the back of her head remembering the event at the Bronze the other night where Willow thought she saw Cordy kissing some man. Was that some man Angel?
"Yes." Angel felt like he was at a loss for words when he talked with Buffy. It was so much easier talking with Cordy; she made him want to talk.
"So are you feeling better?" Buffy wasn't sure what to ask him, she was still in shock he was back. It felt like they were not boyfriend girlfriend anymore. So much had happened when he was Angelus, and then gone for the summer. How they would get back to where they were was beyond Buffy's comprehension right now.
"Yes, getting stronger everyday." Angel said, standing up and moving in front of the fire place. He was not ready for this conversation or lack of one with the slayer. He wanted Cordy to be here by his side now.
"Well that is good, a good thing." Buffy said awkwardly.
"We found the Glove of Mynhegon." Angel said, tired of small talk.
"Really, how?" Buffy said brightly it was nice the conversation so easily moved to business and away from a serious discussion about their relationship or what was left of it.
"Cordy mentioned that you guys were looking for it, and I remembered that at one point there was a collector who collected this type of object. I had a hunch as to where it was located and we got lucky." Angel said, looking at the slayer sitting on his couch.
"You and Cordelia found it?" Buffy said not believing what she was hearing. Cordelia was only accomplished at being bait, not at solving mysteries.
"Yes we did." He did not like the tone in her voice. "We need to get the ingredients for making living flame that is the one thing that will destroy it. I have the spell, but not everything that is required." Angel said.
"Maybe Giles does, I could go back to the library and get him, and then we can perform the spell, and destroy the glove Angel." Buffy said standing, she too was tired of talking, and not knowing what to say, this was easier.
"That is a good idea." Angel said, relieved that she was leaving, and hopeful Cordelia would be home before Buffy and Giles returned. It was going to be a long night.