AN: Okay guys this will probably be the last chapter before Christmas, I
might have a chance to post again just before so keep a look out anyway.
Well happy holidays and thanks for the reviews!
Chapter 5
Angel was about to set out for patrol that night, when there was a knock at the door. He knew it was her before he saw her. Opening the door, he let her in.
"Buffy, what are you doing here?"
"Nice to see you too." She replied, stepping further into the mansion.
"I'm sorry, I just meant."
"Forget it." She smiled. "I just stopped by to see if you wanted to patrol tonight?"
"Actually I was just on my way."
"Oh cool, well I saved you a trip." She said as she headed out the door. Following her, Angel closed the door behind him.
"So." She asked. "What have you been up to, you've been kinda M.I.A lately."
He couldn't tell her the truth. For one thing, he had promised Cordelia he wouldn't, and for another how would he explain it. 'Patrolling mostly, oh yeah and during the day I've turned my mansion into a day care centre and I've been looking after Cordelia's adoptive baby, which by the way is meant to be a secret, so don't tell.'
Shaking his head slightly he brought himself back to her question." You know, patrol and reading." Which wasn't a lie, he had read to Josh, and he had been patrolling when he found out about Cordelia and the baby.
Not knowing what else to say, Buffy just looked at her feet.
The silence was becoming uncomfortable, and Angel had to break it, fast.
"So, how are things, any activity I should know about?"
Buffy couldn't believe that he had just came out and asked her something as personal as that. Sure they were close, but they weren't dating any more, it would be like telling her mom what 'activity' was going on. So she confronted him.
"That's a little personal don't you think? I mean I know that we."
"Buffy." Angel stopped to look at her. "I meant Hellmouth activity."
Suddenly feeling very embarrassed, she tried to cover it up. "I know that, I was, ah, kidding, I do kid from time to time, it's a thing I do, I'm a kidder." She said, wishing for the nearest portal to swallow her whole.
Seeing that she was only embarrassing herself further, she answered his question.
"Nothing Hellmouthy as of yet, but you know evil, it's probably just boarding the Sunnydale express."
"So." Angel said, why was it so hard to talk to her. Before they could usually carry a conversation, but since he had been back from his little vacation to Hell, he had found it hard to be around her. Impaling him with a sword appeared to have that affect on them. But it wasn't just that, it had shown him, that no matter how hard they tried, it really was over between them. And being around her only frustrated him more, he wanted to move on, not be stuck in the ever-tangled web that they had woven over time.
"How are the gang?"
"They're good, everything seems to be normal. Oh apart from Cordelia."
Angel looked up, suddenly very interested in what she had to say, although he hid it from her.
"Yeah, it was weird, one moment she was her usual bitchy self, then poof she actually sounded like a human being."
Angel swallowed the urge to correct Buffy. He had seen the real Cordelia and there was nothing bitchy about her, although Buffy didn't know that. Instead he tried another angle.
"Do you ever wonder why she acts the way she does?" he questioned.
"Cordelia?" Buffy thought it over for all of two seconds. "She's popular, rich and she gets her own way. I heard that her parents pay for everything, it's no wonder she thinks she's queen of Sunnydale, she can get away with anything. She hurts people with the way she acts, if she actually had feelings maybe she would know what that was like."
Angel had heard everything Buffy had said, and began to realise that it wasn't just Cordelia's parents who were the cause for her exterior self, but people like Buffy and her friends who constantly badmouthed her. They were continuously complaining that Cordelia did nothing but be horrible to them, but behind her back they were exactly the same, and Angel had had enough of it. He had promised Cordelia he wouldn't do anything that would lead people to believe that she wasn't who she portrayed, but this was getting out of hand, he needed to get away from Buffy and fast. He turned to her.
"Look Buffy, I know what it's like to be on the outside, so I have a little idea of what Cordelia's going through, and I know everyone is trying to welcome me with open arms, but it's not gonna happen. Too much has happened in the past, too much to forgive, and I can stand here and pretend that we're friends but we both know that that's a lie. I'm tried of pretending to be something I'm not, if I can't accept who I really am, how can I expect anyone else to. The powers brought me back for a reason, I have to find out why."
Shocked and confused at Angel's sudden outburst, she watched him as he paced, not sure what to expect next. Thankfully, the Hellmouth was true to it's word as they were approached by three green demons, not one's she recognised, Buffy thought, as the conversation was forgotten, the fight was upon them.
The slay had been one of the more difficult ones. They had managed to kill the demons but not without collecting a few war wounds to tell the tale. I few cuts and bruises covered the slayer, whereas Angel managed to be on the receiving end of one of their swords.
"Angel are you okay?" she asked worried, as she looked at the wound in his stomach.
"I'm fine." He replied a little coarsely, pulling his duster closer to himself, hiding the wound.
Buffy turned to him. "I think we should call it a night. I'll keep a lookout on my way home, and report to Giles in the morning."
"That's probably a good idea." He replied, though to calling it a night or reporting to Giles, she wasn't sure.
"Well I guess, I'll see you around." She said, turning and walking away.
Angel stood there, hand to his stomach, deciding it would be better to sit as apposed to fall. Preparing himself for the walk ahead, he had one place to stop off at first.
TBC
Chapter 5
Angel was about to set out for patrol that night, when there was a knock at the door. He knew it was her before he saw her. Opening the door, he let her in.
"Buffy, what are you doing here?"
"Nice to see you too." She replied, stepping further into the mansion.
"I'm sorry, I just meant."
"Forget it." She smiled. "I just stopped by to see if you wanted to patrol tonight?"
"Actually I was just on my way."
"Oh cool, well I saved you a trip." She said as she headed out the door. Following her, Angel closed the door behind him.
"So." She asked. "What have you been up to, you've been kinda M.I.A lately."
He couldn't tell her the truth. For one thing, he had promised Cordelia he wouldn't, and for another how would he explain it. 'Patrolling mostly, oh yeah and during the day I've turned my mansion into a day care centre and I've been looking after Cordelia's adoptive baby, which by the way is meant to be a secret, so don't tell.'
Shaking his head slightly he brought himself back to her question." You know, patrol and reading." Which wasn't a lie, he had read to Josh, and he had been patrolling when he found out about Cordelia and the baby.
Not knowing what else to say, Buffy just looked at her feet.
The silence was becoming uncomfortable, and Angel had to break it, fast.
"So, how are things, any activity I should know about?"
Buffy couldn't believe that he had just came out and asked her something as personal as that. Sure they were close, but they weren't dating any more, it would be like telling her mom what 'activity' was going on. So she confronted him.
"That's a little personal don't you think? I mean I know that we."
"Buffy." Angel stopped to look at her. "I meant Hellmouth activity."
Suddenly feeling very embarrassed, she tried to cover it up. "I know that, I was, ah, kidding, I do kid from time to time, it's a thing I do, I'm a kidder." She said, wishing for the nearest portal to swallow her whole.
Seeing that she was only embarrassing herself further, she answered his question.
"Nothing Hellmouthy as of yet, but you know evil, it's probably just boarding the Sunnydale express."
"So." Angel said, why was it so hard to talk to her. Before they could usually carry a conversation, but since he had been back from his little vacation to Hell, he had found it hard to be around her. Impaling him with a sword appeared to have that affect on them. But it wasn't just that, it had shown him, that no matter how hard they tried, it really was over between them. And being around her only frustrated him more, he wanted to move on, not be stuck in the ever-tangled web that they had woven over time.
"How are the gang?"
"They're good, everything seems to be normal. Oh apart from Cordelia."
Angel looked up, suddenly very interested in what she had to say, although he hid it from her.
"Yeah, it was weird, one moment she was her usual bitchy self, then poof she actually sounded like a human being."
Angel swallowed the urge to correct Buffy. He had seen the real Cordelia and there was nothing bitchy about her, although Buffy didn't know that. Instead he tried another angle.
"Do you ever wonder why she acts the way she does?" he questioned.
"Cordelia?" Buffy thought it over for all of two seconds. "She's popular, rich and she gets her own way. I heard that her parents pay for everything, it's no wonder she thinks she's queen of Sunnydale, she can get away with anything. She hurts people with the way she acts, if she actually had feelings maybe she would know what that was like."
Angel had heard everything Buffy had said, and began to realise that it wasn't just Cordelia's parents who were the cause for her exterior self, but people like Buffy and her friends who constantly badmouthed her. They were continuously complaining that Cordelia did nothing but be horrible to them, but behind her back they were exactly the same, and Angel had had enough of it. He had promised Cordelia he wouldn't do anything that would lead people to believe that she wasn't who she portrayed, but this was getting out of hand, he needed to get away from Buffy and fast. He turned to her.
"Look Buffy, I know what it's like to be on the outside, so I have a little idea of what Cordelia's going through, and I know everyone is trying to welcome me with open arms, but it's not gonna happen. Too much has happened in the past, too much to forgive, and I can stand here and pretend that we're friends but we both know that that's a lie. I'm tried of pretending to be something I'm not, if I can't accept who I really am, how can I expect anyone else to. The powers brought me back for a reason, I have to find out why."
Shocked and confused at Angel's sudden outburst, she watched him as he paced, not sure what to expect next. Thankfully, the Hellmouth was true to it's word as they were approached by three green demons, not one's she recognised, Buffy thought, as the conversation was forgotten, the fight was upon them.
The slay had been one of the more difficult ones. They had managed to kill the demons but not without collecting a few war wounds to tell the tale. I few cuts and bruises covered the slayer, whereas Angel managed to be on the receiving end of one of their swords.
"Angel are you okay?" she asked worried, as she looked at the wound in his stomach.
"I'm fine." He replied a little coarsely, pulling his duster closer to himself, hiding the wound.
Buffy turned to him. "I think we should call it a night. I'll keep a lookout on my way home, and report to Giles in the morning."
"That's probably a good idea." He replied, though to calling it a night or reporting to Giles, she wasn't sure.
"Well I guess, I'll see you around." She said, turning and walking away.
Angel stood there, hand to his stomach, deciding it would be better to sit as apposed to fall. Preparing himself for the walk ahead, he had one place to stop off at first.
TBC