She could still feel him. It was a weird feeling that she was starting to get used to. She kind of liked that feeling, creepy as it was and in fact, she looked forward to it. Each morning would come, she would put on the horrible coffee that she picked up the day before at the store and after about ten minutes of sorting through unpaid bills and unwanted catalogues, he would be standing behind her, just staring. It was comforting, she thought to herself, packing the last pair of her jeans in her suitcase. Comforting knowing that somehow Angel would always be there to comfort her, laugh with her, joke with her, and save her. Saving her. She didn't want him to save her anymore and he definitely couldn't save her now.

"What do you want?" She asked, not needing to turn around and see him in her doorway to know he was there. Plus the fact that she heard him say hello to Dennis was a dead giveaway as well. "Angel?"

"Why?" His low toned voice told her something she already knew. He was mad.

"Why what?" She replied, going over to her closet and fishing out the rest of her clothing.

"Don't Cordy..."

"Don't what Angel? Do what, for once in my life I want to do? Sorry, but no. For once, just once, you are not going to have a day in this." She told him, shoving the apparel tight in the divided suitcase. There he went again, making a simple task hard to do. He moved forward slightly and she moved away. She didn't want to do this, heck, she didn't even want him here. It made everything ten times harder.

"Cordy...talk to me."

"About what Angel?"

"About what ever had crawled up your ass and is sending impulses up to your brain causing you to turn back into the bitch you once were!" Angel yelled back at her as she turned to face him. She was shocked and by the look on his face, so was he.

"How dare you..."

"I'm sorry." He quickly apologized to her, seeing the sadness creep up over her face. He didn't want to make any sudden moves and jolt her from his presence again. "Talk to me. Please." He begged her, tossing the remaining clothes in her hands and taking her hands in his. Gently running his fingers over hers, he asked again, "Please. Just talk to me."

Brushing the loose hair out of her face, he saw the worry lines and running scared with terror look in her teary eyes. Something she hadn't displayed in quite a while. She was scared and Angel was mad at himself for not knowing why.

"Is it me?"

"No, it's not you." She shook her head back and forth and covered her face with her hands. Leaning into his chest, she just wept. Wept, something she hadn't done in ages. Angel brushed his hands down her back consoling her, because right now that was the only thing he could do.

"Last week?"

"Last week." Cordelia answered Angel, cupping her hands around the hot cup of coffee that he had brewed for her.

"How come I didn't know about this? And what the hell gives you the right to keep this from us?" Angel asked, pacing the tiled kitchen floor back and forth, still trying to take in all the information at once.

"Because I thought I could handle it and excuse me, but it is my life." Cordelia snapped back at him.

"Cordy..." Angel finally sat down, leaned forward and placed his hand upon her bare knee under the table.

"There's more too. Seems that my presumed dead Grandmother Chase is alive and well too. I was told that she died before I was even thought of, and all this time she's been alive." Cordelia started to shake her head in disbelief that her life was a big puzzle being scrambled up like eggs. "First, Groo leaves me, then I find out my grandmother is alive and well, then I get kidnapped by a dragon and you come to save me, yet again. My life is just..." Cordelia laid her head down on the table, ending mid thought and started to cry. Her life was screwed up or they way she thought, it was either going to hell or was already there.

"I'm not going to tell you that everything will be okay, because that's not what you want to hear..." Angel whispered to her as she lifted her head back up, wiping away the tears. "And I'm not going to say that I'll save you and we'll get through this together because you don't want to hear that either. But I will tell you that I am here, whether you like it or not." Angel moved his hand up to her chin, and lifted her head to match his eyes. "But don't you ever think of leaving again, not me or your family. We need you. I need you."

"Angel..." Her lip trembled more this time as Angel pulled her chair closer to him and caught it with his lips. Their first, well technically second kiss and it was supposed to be innocent. But it wasn't. Angel found himself wanting more and no matter which way he looked at it, it was a bad idea. Even if he did pursue the kiss, which he really wanted to right now, he didn't know how to proceed for the first time in his life. Cordelia was his best friend and nothing more, at least he thought until now. Pulling back from the kiss, he traced the line of her cheekbone, her head giving into the weight of her over-whelmed brain.

"Come on, let's go." He pulled her up out of the chair and started heading towards her bedroom door.

"Angel, what are we doing?" Cordelia whispered, clutching onto his hand as they made their way back into her bedroom, the lights turning off behind them courtesy of Dennis.

"We're going to get some sleep. And I'm not leaving you tonight. So don't argue." He told her, moving the suitcase over to the other side of the room as Dennis folded down the covers, allowing Cordelia to slip in prior to Angel. He strolled back to the queen sized mattress shedding his shows, socks and shirt and slipped in close to her. He slithered his arm around her tiny waist, snuggling her closer and giving her a soft kiss upon her forehead. It was going to take some work, but they were going to work this out. They had to, because he wasn't giving up not her or them and he wasn't going to let her leave. Like it or not, he was going to save her.