Chapter One

Disclaimer: If I say that they are Joss's characters etc., then it is all good. So these are all Joss's characters, places, and whatnot

Angel looked around his small house just north of Oakland. It was not that big, but Angel did not need it to be. It did its job of protecting him from the harmful sun just as good as any other place would. It would also provide shelter for the mourning Illyria.

Angel had been surprised at the amount of grief the immortal woman could have for a person. Ever since Wesley had died, she had been like that. He sighed as he began rearranging framed photographs around. One of Buffy and Dawn that he had received around Christmas time. Apparently the two of them were still living in Rome, but Buffy was luckily no longer dating the Immortal, much to Angel's liking.

Angel said, placing the photograph of the Summers sisters right next to the old one of him, Cordelia, and Doyle. He sighed, turning away before he would start to get emotional.

"This is boring," Illyria declared. "I wish to do more violence!"

Angel sighed and turned to her with a slight smile. "Illyria, you've slain every demon and vampire that came within a mile radius of this place, save for me and Spike. Isn't that enough?"

Illyria shook her head. "It will never be enough. None of them will bring him back. I am in pain and since I can't stop my pain, I'll have to settle for causing others pain and death." She jumped as Angel's cell phone, which was on the table next to her began ringing, playing some sort of song she had downloaded from a band called Darling Violetta.

"Your communication device is going off," Illyria announced in a deadpan tone of voice.

Angel nodded as he went over and grabbed the phone, seeing if he recognized the number that was calling him. He sighed as he found he did not. "Hello, this is Angel," he said into the phone.

"Angelcakes, it's Lorne," the demon on the other end of the phone announced.

"Oh Lorne," Angel announced with a slight tone of happiness in his voice. He gave a small smile as he sat back against his couch. "What's up?"

"Mostly just checking in. I know I haven't called, but I stumbled upon your number again and decided to call it."

Angel nodded slightly. "That's fair," he said softly to himself. "So where are you calling from?"

"Cleveland," came the one word answer.

"A Hellmouth?" Angel asked in obvious confusion. "I thought the fighting thing wasn't you."

"It's not my thing," Lorne said truthfully. "But it's only temporary because it's close to work and its until I can get the money to reopen a Caritas."

"Good luck with that," Angel said with a smile. "So, Lorne, in all honesty, why did you call?"

"To find out how things went. May nineteenth last year and all that."

Angel nodded slightly as he began thinking. "Well, a lot happened that day," he began. "Some of which I don't know if you want to hear."

"I'm ready for anything, Angelwings, now tell me," Lorne commanded.

Angel nodded, trying to figure the best way to break things to Lorne. "Alright," he began. "Wesley didn't survive his battle against Vail--"

"You should not have sent a mortal after that thing," Illyria interjected bitterly.

"And that fact still upsets Illyria, who did survive," Angel added with a slight sigh.

Lorne nodded again as he walked into his bedroom and sat down on the bed, figuring that he might want to be sitting down before Angel finished the story. "What about Gunn?"

"He was killed by this dragon," Angel began, knowing the thought sounded odd.

"Dragon?" Lorne asked doubtfully.

Angel nodded. "Yea, after we got to the alley it was chaos. The dragon, thousands upon millions of demons"

"And you survived that?" Lorne asked in disbelief.

"Well, you're talking to me, aren't you?" Angel asked with a smile.

Lorne sighed. "So how did you survive?" he asked curiously.

"Andrew," Angel stated, recalling the name of the very nerdy Watcher he had met on few occasions. The Watcher who seemed to not be entirely straight and had something for Spike. "He had somehow gotten word of the battle and he, Giles, and Buffy sent a horde of Slayers over to Los Angeles. We all fought.

"Gunn was killed within the first five minutes, but according to Illyria he would have only made it another five due to his wound. We all split up, each of us covering about eight to ten demons."

"And the new Slayers weren't scared?"

Angel shook his head. "No, they were the ones who survived Sunnydale's collapse. The demons are nothing in comparison to an Ÿbervamp, apparently," Angel explained.

"So Wolfram and Hart and all its evil employees are dead?" Lorne asked.

Angel nodded. "In the Los Angeles branch, anyway. Almost everyone fled out earlier and if not then, then when the building started collapsing. There could not be a living thing in there."

"So you don't have two former Wolfram and Hart liaisons wishing you were dead, do you?" Lorne asked curiously.

Angel shook his head again, a motion he found to not have much of a point, especially since Lorne could not see him. "Connor and I took out Hamilton--"

"Who?" Lorne interrupted.

Angel frowned, remembering that Lorne would not remember him. Only he would, and Eve for some reason. And Cordelia, but no one else had remembered that she had been alive. "He was my son, you won't remember him so don't try."

"Alright," Lorne began, confused at the thought of Angel having a child, especially one who could fight Hamilton. "What about Eve?"

"Suicidal, pretty much," Angel said. "Since Lindsey died, she didn't feel she could have gone anywhere. So she stayed in my office and presumably her dead body is within the rumble there."

"Right," Lorne said as he nodded. "And what about Spike?"

"He made it," Angel stated. "He's actually downstairs with video games if you care to speak with him."

Lorne shook his head. "No thanks, I probably shouldn't. I mean, it's nice that he's around--"

"No it's not," Angel corrected with a small groan.

"Whatever," Lorne said. "But I really should be getting back to what I was doing beforeÉ." he said as he began to hang up.

"Wait!" Angel yelled. "There is one more thing I have to tell you. I have to be straight with you on it."

"What's that?" Lorne asked.

"Cordelia," Angel said slowly.

"She's not in her coma?" Lorne asked happily. "Well, put her on you big dingdong!"

Angel shook his head rapidly. "Not that. Well, you're right, but not in the sense that you think you are."

"Come again?"

"February fourth of last year," Angel began painfully. "On that day, the hospital she was staying at called. Cordelia never woke up. She died earlier that same day. I've never been able to tell anyone until now."

"Oh," Lorne began sadly. "Well," he began after long moments of silence. "Well I better get back to my thing now," he said.

"Yea," Angel began. "You too."

"Hey, if you're ever in Cleveland," Lorne began. "It'd be nice to see your face again."

Angel smiled slightly. "Yea, I'd like that," he told his old friend before he hung up.