The flight from New York had been amazing she mused thinking back to her
first plane ride that had brought her here to LA. She was living in a hotel
for now, looking up apartments in the newspaper as she was coming back from
her meeting. She was a very lucky person. Just a short year and a half ago
she had woken up from a coma in hospital. A victim of rape and abuse from
her former boyfriend. He was dead now, having killed himself in police
custody. She couldn't remember him at all, for that she was thankful,
shouldn't couldn't remember a thing from before waking up in that hospital
bed, a new lease on life the staff and police had told her. Better make the
most of it. So she did, she had developed an amazing and secure database
system for large corporations that was purchased by that LAPD. They had,
had a lot of security breeches the past couple of years and wanted that to
end, hence her coming down to install the system.
Oh she had created other programs too, and they were selling well in LA as well as giving her a chance to earn extra for installing them and teaching employee's their basics. Hence her coming to live in LA. New York was great but she was 21, she wanted sun after feeling like she had lived in darkness for so long. Her musings ended as her cab came to a stop in front of her hotel. She paid the man and walked inside and up to the front desk.
"Hello, I just came to see if there were any messages left for me?"
The young woman behind the desk smiled brightly at her. "Nothing here for you today ma'am."
"That's fine, thank you for checking," she said with a smile as she made her way across the lobby to the elevator. Getting off on the 7th floor she walked down the hallway to her room and unlocked it quickly and slipped inside. Placing her purse and key on the desk she slipped off her shoes and padded across to the bathroom. After taking a quick shower she wiped the steam off of the mirror looking back at her reflection. Green eyes staring back at her she turned her attention to brushing her hair, it was red and halfway down her back, and when it dried it would be slightly wavy with a bit of curl to the ends. After she had blow dried her hair and changed into a matching black mini skirt and v-neck halter top, she put in her small silver hoop earings and a light coating of green eye shadow, mascara, and pale pink lip gloss. Satisfied at the result she slipped into her pair of black heeled strappy sandles and grabbed her key and evening bag, leaving her room for a night on the town.
------------------------ ----------------------------- --------------------- -----
The night was warm as Angel, Cordelia, Gunn, and Wesley walked back to the Hyperion from their latest slaying.
"Gunn," Angel asked. "I just remembered that Lorne asked if someone could pick him up early tonight so he can have sometime to prepare before Fred sings for him, do you mind?"
"Course not dog, my truck is parked out front anyway, I'll just jog on ahead ok?" Angel nodded. "Ok, be back with Lorne in a bit."
"Ok, thanks Gunn." Angel replied as Gunn jogged off in quickly to reach his truck. "Angel, how come you forgot about Lorne and had to ask Gunn to go get him?" Cordelia asked without wasting anytime.
"I've had something on my mind, that's all."
"You know Angel, you can tell us anything, we'll do anything to help." Wesley offered.
"Thanks Wes but it's nothing really, just kind of a nagging feeling I've been getting in my soul."
"What kind of nagging feeling? Do you feel as though you're losing it?" Wesley asked cautiously.
"No, no nothing like that, it's - it's silly really."
"Angel," Cordelia cut in. "Try us."
"Well it's just that I have had this feeling for the past year and a half now that Buffy has been lying to me, lying to all of us, about something really important."
"Lying to us? About what?"
"About Willow."
Cordelia and Wesley stopped dead in their tracks. "Angel," Cordelia began. "That's not funny."
"Do you see me joking? I just think Buffy has been lying, possibly Xander too."
"Why Angel? What reason would they have to lie? To lie about letting Willow die? You seen how destroyed they were when they told us, you know what happens in Sunnydale!" Cordelia screamed nearly in tears.
Angel reached over and hugged her. "Shh, I'm sorry Cordy, I shouldn't of said anything, I know I'm wrong. I just miss her, she gave me back my soul, she accepted me. I guess I just felt like I needed someone to blame."
Cordelia wiped away her tears. "It's ok Angel, we all miss her. Sometimes I feel like I need someone to blame too. But it's no one's fault really. Being turned is always a risk on the hellmouth and as for the other part, that was just an accident. Can you imagine how Buffy still feels, she tried to her Willow help and ended up getting her staked. We just have to remember Willow as she was and try to move on with our lives."
Angel and Cordelia smiled weakly as they rejoined Wesley who was standing silently off to the side. They continued off towards the Hyperion to check on Fred before Gunn got back with Lorne. They were going to give Fred a future.
----------------- ------------------------------- --------------------------
Gunn pulled his truck over quickly in front of a night club as he seen a young red headed woman struggling against a man. No scratch that, a vampire. Hopping out and reaching for the stake in his coat pocket he followed the pair into the alley beside the club. The vamp had one hand tightly around her throat cutting off her screams as she vainly tried to release herself from his grasp. Rushing up quickly behind the vamp, Gunn drew back and quickly plunged his stake into the vampire's back and he saw the girl drop to the ground as it burst into dust.
"Are you alright?" He asked the girl, as he helped her to her feet. "Can you remember your name?"
"Angela Jennifer Giles," she squeaked out. "W-what was that?"
"Don't worry about him, he won't be able to hurt anyone ok?"
"Ok," breathed out the red head as she fainted in his arms.
'Oh man' Gunn thought to himself. I just can't leave her here, I'll take her with me while I pick up Lorne, maybe she'll wake up by that time and she can get a cab to take her safely home. He decided as he gently set her in the front seat with him. Angela hadn't woken up by the time they got to Lorne's but Lorne insisted that they take her with them to Angel's. Muttering something about seeing her before. Arriving at the hotel, Lorne opened the door for Gunn who carried the still unconscious red head.
"Angel!" Lorne bellowed. "ANGEL!"
Angel leapt from the couch he had been sitting on with Fred and across from the one containing Cordelia and Wesley.
The large smile that had graced his face fell in an instant as he saw the red head cradled in Gunn's arms.
"Gunn," Angel asked before swallowing at the lump in his throat. "W-who is that?"
"A girl I saved from a vamp attack before I picked up Lorne. Before she passed out she told me that her name was Angela Jennifer Giles. How come?"
"Angel cakes, I've seen her before from your readings. You know this girl."
"I know," Angel said with a quiet and shaky voice. "It's Willow."
Oh she had created other programs too, and they were selling well in LA as well as giving her a chance to earn extra for installing them and teaching employee's their basics. Hence her coming to live in LA. New York was great but she was 21, she wanted sun after feeling like she had lived in darkness for so long. Her musings ended as her cab came to a stop in front of her hotel. She paid the man and walked inside and up to the front desk.
"Hello, I just came to see if there were any messages left for me?"
The young woman behind the desk smiled brightly at her. "Nothing here for you today ma'am."
"That's fine, thank you for checking," she said with a smile as she made her way across the lobby to the elevator. Getting off on the 7th floor she walked down the hallway to her room and unlocked it quickly and slipped inside. Placing her purse and key on the desk she slipped off her shoes and padded across to the bathroom. After taking a quick shower she wiped the steam off of the mirror looking back at her reflection. Green eyes staring back at her she turned her attention to brushing her hair, it was red and halfway down her back, and when it dried it would be slightly wavy with a bit of curl to the ends. After she had blow dried her hair and changed into a matching black mini skirt and v-neck halter top, she put in her small silver hoop earings and a light coating of green eye shadow, mascara, and pale pink lip gloss. Satisfied at the result she slipped into her pair of black heeled strappy sandles and grabbed her key and evening bag, leaving her room for a night on the town.
------------------------ ----------------------------- --------------------- -----
The night was warm as Angel, Cordelia, Gunn, and Wesley walked back to the Hyperion from their latest slaying.
"Gunn," Angel asked. "I just remembered that Lorne asked if someone could pick him up early tonight so he can have sometime to prepare before Fred sings for him, do you mind?"
"Course not dog, my truck is parked out front anyway, I'll just jog on ahead ok?" Angel nodded. "Ok, be back with Lorne in a bit."
"Ok, thanks Gunn." Angel replied as Gunn jogged off in quickly to reach his truck. "Angel, how come you forgot about Lorne and had to ask Gunn to go get him?" Cordelia asked without wasting anytime.
"I've had something on my mind, that's all."
"You know Angel, you can tell us anything, we'll do anything to help." Wesley offered.
"Thanks Wes but it's nothing really, just kind of a nagging feeling I've been getting in my soul."
"What kind of nagging feeling? Do you feel as though you're losing it?" Wesley asked cautiously.
"No, no nothing like that, it's - it's silly really."
"Angel," Cordelia cut in. "Try us."
"Well it's just that I have had this feeling for the past year and a half now that Buffy has been lying to me, lying to all of us, about something really important."
"Lying to us? About what?"
"About Willow."
Cordelia and Wesley stopped dead in their tracks. "Angel," Cordelia began. "That's not funny."
"Do you see me joking? I just think Buffy has been lying, possibly Xander too."
"Why Angel? What reason would they have to lie? To lie about letting Willow die? You seen how destroyed they were when they told us, you know what happens in Sunnydale!" Cordelia screamed nearly in tears.
Angel reached over and hugged her. "Shh, I'm sorry Cordy, I shouldn't of said anything, I know I'm wrong. I just miss her, she gave me back my soul, she accepted me. I guess I just felt like I needed someone to blame."
Cordelia wiped away her tears. "It's ok Angel, we all miss her. Sometimes I feel like I need someone to blame too. But it's no one's fault really. Being turned is always a risk on the hellmouth and as for the other part, that was just an accident. Can you imagine how Buffy still feels, she tried to her Willow help and ended up getting her staked. We just have to remember Willow as she was and try to move on with our lives."
Angel and Cordelia smiled weakly as they rejoined Wesley who was standing silently off to the side. They continued off towards the Hyperion to check on Fred before Gunn got back with Lorne. They were going to give Fred a future.
----------------- ------------------------------- --------------------------
Gunn pulled his truck over quickly in front of a night club as he seen a young red headed woman struggling against a man. No scratch that, a vampire. Hopping out and reaching for the stake in his coat pocket he followed the pair into the alley beside the club. The vamp had one hand tightly around her throat cutting off her screams as she vainly tried to release herself from his grasp. Rushing up quickly behind the vamp, Gunn drew back and quickly plunged his stake into the vampire's back and he saw the girl drop to the ground as it burst into dust.
"Are you alright?" He asked the girl, as he helped her to her feet. "Can you remember your name?"
"Angela Jennifer Giles," she squeaked out. "W-what was that?"
"Don't worry about him, he won't be able to hurt anyone ok?"
"Ok," breathed out the red head as she fainted in his arms.
'Oh man' Gunn thought to himself. I just can't leave her here, I'll take her with me while I pick up Lorne, maybe she'll wake up by that time and she can get a cab to take her safely home. He decided as he gently set her in the front seat with him. Angela hadn't woken up by the time they got to Lorne's but Lorne insisted that they take her with them to Angel's. Muttering something about seeing her before. Arriving at the hotel, Lorne opened the door for Gunn who carried the still unconscious red head.
"Angel!" Lorne bellowed. "ANGEL!"
Angel leapt from the couch he had been sitting on with Fred and across from the one containing Cordelia and Wesley.
The large smile that had graced his face fell in an instant as he saw the red head cradled in Gunn's arms.
"Gunn," Angel asked before swallowing at the lump in his throat. "W-who is that?"
"A girl I saved from a vamp attack before I picked up Lorne. Before she passed out she told me that her name was Angela Jennifer Giles. How come?"
"Angel cakes, I've seen her before from your readings. You know this girl."
"I know," Angel said with a quiet and shaky voice. "It's Willow."